Sequel to Thrift.
Penny puts her plan into action.
Notes:Back to more happy themes.
Nothing too explicit here, but fair warning about sex adjacent activities and discussion.
Penny was in UCLA, she had a job that paid well and she was living with her boyfriend. Life was good.
The only thing missing from her life was sex. No other way around it, she just needed that, and not just any sex. She needed sex with Sheldon.
Sheldon was more than good with kissing. He didn't even freak out (much) when Penny introduced tongue to the game and it was great, Penny had always been one for kissing, she enjoyed it immensely.
But she was starting to get very frustrated. As in back to puberty frustrated.
So she started small, as they kissed on the couch she pulled his hands to her waist and then once the kissing got a bit more intense she put his hands on her ass. Fantastic success, after a couple of sessions like that Sheldon soon learned that he could touch her like that on his own.
And oh yeah, Sheldon had a thing for her butt.
All of that was perfect. The issue occurred when he stopped there, he'd caressed and fondle her butt, squeeze it while kissing her and…that's it, they would stop kissing and go out, or go eat dinner, or watch TV. And it was killing her, not to mention that Sheldon didn't understand why she had to go change after a kissing session.
Enough was enough.
Penny had prepared for this night, she was wearing a cute pair of sleeping shorts, they were loose and 'innocent', she had a large tee stolen from Sheldon and wasn't wearing any underwear. Penny was ready.
The night went on as usual, Sheldon didn't mention her attire and they had dinner, watched TV, and then washed their teeth. Sheldon didn't like to kiss after eating without washing his teeth first, and Penny could live with that.
The kissing started innocently enough, Sheldon was in his spot and Penny was kneeling on the middle cushion, Sheldon was leaning half against the back of the couch and half against the armrest. As their kissing deepened and grew more intimate, Penny started pushing Sheldon more and more, until she was almost lying on his chest. Some adjusting from Sheldon's end and they were making out with Penny between his legs and yeah, she could feel the effect she had on him, it was one of her favorite parts of making out in this position.
Sheldon's hand began their familiar slide towards her bottom but once it got there he gasped and pulled back his hand. "PENNY!" He looked scared, as if he had done something wrong. The material of her shorts was thin and silky, he was used to there being at least two barriers of clothing.
"Hey, Sheldon. Look at me. It's fine. You can touch me. No, I want you to touch me. It's okay, I want this."
Sheldon looks at her and Penny can see the conflict on his face. One part must be him being raised a good southern boy and another part is all Sheldon Cooper original. She's still musing on Sheldon when she feels a tentative hand on her hip. Penny smiles at him encouragingly and then plants a kiss on his jaw. "That's not my butt." She murmurs.
Sheldon's hand freezes and Penny fears that it's too much, but she's thrilled when his shaking hand makes contact with her ass. And Penny decides that more kissing is a good idea, so she does just that. Pulls Sheldon in for a kiss so he can't focus on anything else and after a moment she can feel him loosen up again, he's back to being an active participant in the kiss and the hand on her ass grows more confident, squeezes and makes moan. Doesn't let Sheldon stop the kissing.
She can feel the material of her shorts start to stick to her lips, she's also most likely getting Sheldon's shirt wet but at this point she doesn't care, she needs the friction as much as the kissing and a bad idea pops in her head, a really bad idea. Well, maybe not bad, but naughty.
Penny stops kissing him "Sheldon, trust me." Sheldon looks a bit lost from the kissing but he nods and that's all the confirmation she needs before grabbing his hand, turning it palm up and shoving it down her shorts. She never lets go of his hand because she knows he will try to pull it away.
Sheldon takes a sudden intake of breath and Penny joins him at feeling his hand, he's frozen and not moving but Penny is moving for the both of them.
"It's okay Honey." She says between breaths. Penny doesn't want to just rub one out using Sheldon's hand, so she forces herself to stop and look at him. "Please Moonpie, touch me." Penny is whimpering but she hopes that Sheldon can do it.
"Penny…you're so wet." Sheldon's voice is an awed whisper and it makes Penny laugh.
"Yeah, you did that." He looks at her in surprise. "Penny I-" Maybe his hand got tired of not moving, but his fingers move, it's a small movement, just his hand clenching and then relaxing again but for Penny, it's enough to drive her over the edge. Maybe it's how innocent Sheldon looks with his hand down her shorts but Penny doesn't care.
Penny is a happy girl.
Coming back to herself and she's still basically straddling Sheldon's hand while catching her breath and Sheldon is looking at her like she's a formula he needs to decipher. She's about to ask him if he's okay when he moves his fingers in a more decisive manner and steals Penny's breath.
"Fascinating." Penny hears him whisper.
Sheldon spends the rest of the night learning what makes Penny whimper, gasp, moan and more. When she's finally able to go to bed on shaky legs Penny only has one thought in her mind.
'Eidetic memories rule.'
And next morning Penny wakes up annoyed. Sheldon hadn't climaxed. He had been focused solely on her and that was great! Penny was overall thrilled that they had become more physical, but being fully honest, after that first orgasm she was a goner, Sheldon wanted to learn and Penny was happy to teach him.
Even as annoyed as she's feeling, Penny can't help but smile remembering Sheldon's face when her tee hit the couch. He was looking at her naked chest with an intensity that made her nipples harden even more.
Sheldon spent a lot of time touching her, learning about her body. A shiver goes through her body remembering it, looking at the alarm clock shows that it's still early, she doesn't have school today but she does have a shift later in the day and Sheldon has gone to work.
Penny bites her lip, hesitating. 'Might as well go for it.' Penny thinks as her hand goes into her shorts.
Sheldon was conflicted. Not about last night's activities. He didn't subscribe to his mother's religious ideas.
No, the conflict in him originated because he thoroughly enjoyed it. Penny's skin had always been soft and smooth but last night it had felt incredibly smooth, warm and…Sheldon put a stop to that thought as he felt his body react to the memory.
He was thankful for his eidetic memory but he had a suspicion that even without it, last night would have been seared into his mind.
His mind was still full of Penny. He had yet to leave his office even once, the whiteboard sat forgotten in the corner and Sheldon had no motivation to change that any time soon.
Sheldon Cooper PhD had enjoyed physical contact of a sexual nature.
He can easily recall the first time he learned about sex, his lab partner in Germany had shown him magazines and like all things, it was something new to learn, so Sheldon did. He learned about the exchange of fluids, about orgasms and most importantly, he learned about diseases. That is what made him swear to never have sexual contact with another being.
Until Penny.
Penny smelled like vanilla, her skin shone golden and her eyes were improbably bright. And every time she touched him, his stomach clenched, not in disgust or rejection as it did for other people. No. In anticipation, the scent of her shampoo made him want to smell more of her. Penny had haunted his dreams ever since he first met her. Sheldon engaged in masturbation once a week and while he had been attracted to Penny, it wasn't until he was back in California after that first trip to Nebraska that she made an appearance in his thoughts during that intimate time.
Sheldon had felt ashamed, Penny was his friend. It didn't stop his treacherous mind from conjuring images of Penny bending over to pick up a dropped notepad, of her tousled hair and slightly puffy lips in the morning when they met by the bleachers, of the tight jeans she so favored as she walked to her car in front of him.
It was maddening.
Sheldon was born for science and physics. It's something that he has never doubted, until last night. He had thought that masturbation was enough to keep those urges at bay, but he had been wrong. Last night only made him want more of Penny.
Of course Sheldon had considered to refrain from any sexual activities, to tell Penny that he, Sheldon Cooper, was above carnal urges. But that would be a lie. Sheldon Cooper was also a man.
And he was Dr. Sheldon Cooper PhD. He could conquer both sciences and emotions. With Penny's help of course. He was a man, but not just any man. He was more, greater. If lesser men than him could have both science and relationships, then Sheldon would not be left behind. He was Sheldon Cooper and he would not have to choose between science or Penny.
A memory of Penny writhing and moaning on the couch comes clear to him and he doesn't stop it this time. The way her mouth parted, the grimace of pleasure as she neared her climax, one of her hands holding onto his arm for dear life…this needed further study.
Last night after Penny had gone to bed, Sheldon had stayed up and using the hand still covered in Penny's fluids, he had pleasured himself in the bathroom. It was wrong, he knew, but that orgasm had been earth shattering for him. His emission of semen had been significantly larger than in previous occasions and still his desire for Penny was not decreased. He still took a shower before going to bed and yet another one in the morning, but he had the illogical sensation of still feeling Penny on his fingers and member.
'Dear lord.' Sheldon thought as the pain of epididymal hypertension hit him. He needed to talk to Penny.
And also cancel his afternoon classes, there was no way in hell he would go up on that stage with Penny running through his mind.
Penny has a new routine for her Fridays, sleep in and then eat the breakfast that Sheldon left for her in the fridge while reading a magazine. Take a shower and then prepare her school stuff for her shift later that day, she can do homework while manning the counter at the boutique. Drive to work and park her car in the almost always full parking lot two blocks away from her job. Work her shift while working on homework and handling customers, do the closing tasks and call the Chinese restaurant to make their order while waiting for Perry the security guard, to close the boutique at 8PM sharp. Walk to the board game store next door and pick up her boyfriend.
This was her favorite part of the day.
Sheldon was usually in the middle of a Magic game. Ever since the new Odyssey set had been released, Sheldon hadn't missed a single FNM, he wanted all the promos…and yeah, Penny now knew what all of that meant. No one was more shocked about that fact than Penny herself. But love makes you do crazy things.
Like how Sheldon now knew who Ethan Zohn was, and not only that, he had opinions about him! Her Moonpie surprised her every time.
Sheldon was in his praying mantis position as he focused on his current game. She knew better than to startle him.
"Hey Sheldon." Penny stood next to him and said softly. She saw as he came back from whatever place he was in, he shuffled the cards in his hands and gave her a quick smile.
"Hi Penny."
Now that he knew she was there, Penny sat next to him and watched the rest of the game unfold, this was his last game of the night because they had to go and pick up their order.
As Sheldon tapped lands, played creatures with far too many teeth and discarded cards from his hand, Penny had to smile at the thought that this was her life now. Penny from high school would have never believed it. She had always been a bit boy-crazy, trying to find the perfect man for her. She had imagined someone tall, muscular and blonde…basically Fabio. But she had found tall, lanky and brunette instead and she couldn't be happier.
Sheldon finished his game, got his promo card and they walked to her car, which took her to another favorite part of her Friday nights.
Sheldon had to drive them to the Chinese restaurant and then back to the apartment. He had recently acquired his adult driver's permit and this was one of the ways he could get experience without too much risk. From the parking lot to the Chinese restaurant, it was 8 blocks and then from the restaurant to the apartment it was 6 blocks. Easy.
It was supposed to be easy.
"C'mon Honey, you can go a little faster."
"Penny, I'm driving at an ideal speed."
"Ideal for making babies fall asleep."
Sheldon was learning but he lacked confidence which was weird, but then she had already heard about Georgie being the cause for his fear of driving so maybe it wasn't that weird.
The entire drive should have taken them 30 minutes tops, with Sheldon on the wheel it takes them 1 hour. Which, to be fair, it's an improvement over that first drive of 2 hours.
"You got this Sweetie. Next time I won't even have time to write an essay while you drive."
"Sarcasm?" He questions.
"..."
"Sarcasm." He decides.
Dinner is great as always, Penny is glad that they gave this new restaurant a try. Penny preferred the Orange chicken but Sheldon was gaga for their Tangerine chicken and Penny could see why, but she preferred sweet over spicy.
"Penny?" Sheldon had been watching TV but he muted it and turned to look at her.
"Sheldon?" Penny had been balancing her weekly expenses in her checkbook (Sheldon had taught her how to do it.)
"May I touch you?"
Penny sucks in a breath. She hadn't brought up their actions from last night, because yeah, she was thrilled but also was kinda scared of pushing Sheldon for too much and too soon.
"Touch me? As in last night touching?" And she can't look away from his face, he is blushing and is struggling to keep eye contact, his fingers are clenching and relaxing and that movement makes her crotch tingle in excitement.
"I…yes?" Sheldon gulps nervously but more confidently repeats "Yes." He is facing this head on and Penny is all for it.
"Of course Honey." Penny smiles in what she hopes is an encouraging way but it might be more Cheshire Cat than anything else.
She still has to brush her teeth, but honestly, she doesn't mind. Not when she knows what's about to happen.
"Sheldon, give me 2 minutes to change and I'll be right back." Penny doesn't wait for an answer and runs to her room. Her room is not as messy as back in UNO but she doesn't have anything sexy to wear. Yesterday's shorts were all but ruined (not really, but she's not wearing them until she washes them) and because laundry night is not until tomorrow, the only clean things she has to wear are not meant for sexy times. Period panties? Out. Boxers? Out. Baggy gray sweatpants? Oh yeah, so sexy. Not.
Standing in front of her closet Penny comes to the realization that she has nothing clean to wear. The only thing that is clean is definitely not sexy. 'It's not like you can go out there naked' The thought crosses her mind but it makes her stop.
'Well…why not?' And Penny can't come up with a counterargument, eyes the beach towel that is the size of a house.
Sheldon can hardly believe that he got the words past his mouth. His hands had been shaking as he pretended to watch TV, it had been maddening and he could hardly breathe.
But Penny had simply smiled and agreed to his request.
He needed to feel her skin again, touching her was the closest he'll ever be to being able to touch sunlight directly…not good, Penny made him illogical. Soon enough he'll be writing poetry. Sheldon has to laugh at himself for the ridiculous thought.
At least Sheldon could breathe again. He had brushed his teeth and was now waiting for Penny to come back from her room.
Last night had made him aware of the many ways he could give Penny pleasure, but he had also discovered that he received sexual gratification by the act. Penny had been improbably wet and he was aware of both men and women creating their own lubrication but he hadn't expected that it would be so much.
It was an interesting sensation, and one he wanted to feel again.
'Deep breaths Sheldon.' Penny was still not back and Sheldon was already aroused. He had to remind himself to breathe.
"I'm back Honey." Penny's voice instantly draws him back to the moment.
For some reason Penny has covered herself with a large towel and Sheldon is about to ask her if she's okay when Penny throws the towel off her body and onto the couch.
Sheldon can't breathe.
Seeing Sheldon's expression makes Penny proud of her decision to bare it all.
The apartment is warm, thanks to Sheldon's almost obsessive calibration of the thermostat. But her skin still breaks into goosebumps and her nipples harden, and it's all because of Sheldon's intense look.
He's looking at her with dark eyes the color of the ocean during a storm and it makes her want to giggle hysterically. They have come a long way from that first meeting.
"You can touch me Honey." Her voice is deep and it comes from deep within her chest and it makes Sheldon jump into action, Penny's not sure it was a conscious decision but suddenly he's right there and Penny has to look up at him. 'He's so tall' A nervous giggle escapes her.
"Penny." Sheldon's voice rumbles in her chest. "You're fascinating." His right hand is suddenly on her hip and the initial contact makes her jump a little. His touch is hesitant at first, as if Penny would suddenly have a change of mind.
Penny makes sure that Sheldon can see her smile before putting her hands around his neck and kissing him slowly. She's hoping that it will help him relax and as his hands grab her with confidence she smiles into the kiss. Her hands travel down to his chest, go around his body and under his tee, she moans in disappointment at feeling the undershirt and not his skin. 'Of course'
She jumps again when Sheldon's hands find her bottom and squeeze.
"Take this off!" Penny growls and tugs at his undershirt and Sheldon moves to comply. Maybe he's just as horny or maybe something in her voice bypassed all the smart, but whatever it is, she's glad once Sheldon is shirtless.
Sheldon truly looks like a swimmer and the chest hair does funny things between her legs. Penny kisses him again and she takes his hands and places them back on her bottom. The following squeeze is all Sheldon tho.
Penny has had enough, she needs to feel his hands on her. "Come here." She moves to the couch and fixes the towel on top of it. Penny is not sure how far this will go but the towel will help with the cleanup if things do get out of hand.
She lies down and Sheldon is on top of her. All he needs is her hand guiding his to her crotch for Sheldon to take over.
There's more that's supposed to go here but I don't want this site to nuke my account so this is as far as it goes here. If you're curious about what happens here, you can find this story on AO3 where it's also posted, but in full.
"I love you."
Penny was in the middle of swallowing when Sheldon shocked her again. She thankfully didn't choke. Penny couldn't help but laugh a little and had to stop herself from a full blown guffaw at seeing Sheldon's pleased expression.
It was the first time she had seen him so relaxed.
Before he looked panicked at his words, at least there was no twitching on his face. She knew he meant it.
Straddling him on the couch she kissed him on the jaw.
"I love you too Honey." It was as simple as that.
"Oh. Good."
Penny finally laughed at that.
Penny woke up early, not for a good reason, no, she had to pee. And she hated it, it was getting colder during the mornings and she would have to leave the warmth of the bed and of Sheldon below her.
Ever since that Friday night a month ago they had made it a habit for Penny to spend the night in Sheldon's bed during the weekends. Because Penny loved Sheldon but being woken up at 5 AM was not fun.
That's why having to get up at…she looks at Sheldon's alarm clock, 4:43 AM. 'Oh Man.' Penny groans into the pajama clad chest she's using as a pillow. She hates waking up early, she had to do it for the farm and she wasn't a fan then either.
Penny tries to get up but Sheldon's hand on her ass tightens for a moment before relaxing and she stays a little bit longer, enjoying the warmth and his scent. Sheldon used the same fabric softener that his mom used to buy, which apparently he had a hard time finding in California. It wasn't until he visited a Mexican bodega that he found it again and has been purchasing in bulk ever since. It was called Suavitel and apparently it was a Mexican brand. He liked the soft scent and that it didn't irritate his skin. Penny had switched from Downy to his fabric softener and she had told Sheldon it was just to make things easier during laundry but the truth was, that it made her think of him whenever she got a whiff of the scent throughout her day.
The pressure in her bladder stops her train of thought and Penny finally gives in and quickly moves to the bathroom. She does her business quickly and washes her hands which only makes her feel colder.
The apartment is silent and Penny is hit with a sudden wave of…Nostalgia? No. Longing, yeah, that sounds right. It's almost November and her life has been great and so different from where she was 2 years ago, she's scared that this whole thing is a dream.
Diving back into Sheldon's bed and feeling his chest and breathing breaks her away from that line of thought.
This is real.
Sheldon starts making plans for their trip to Texas. They will leave on the 17th once all her finals are done and this time they'll stay until January 4th and this time the bedroom arrangements are different.
"What do you mean we're staying with Meemaw?"
"Apparently Missy met a young man that she wishes to introduce to the family." Sheldon looks far too calm. "For that reason she will use my room and her-I suppose we should call him 'boyfriend'-her boyfriend will stay in her room. Mother doesn't trust Missy."
"And you're okay with that Honey? I know you don't like people being in your room."
"Yes, as I mentioned before, that room in Galveston was never really 'my' room" He did the air quotes. "There are no valuables there for me to worry about." Sheldon pauses thoughtfully for a moment. "And I would be lying if I said I don't want to spend more time with my Meemaw."
"Awww Honey. That's cute." Penny goes up to hug him. "Are we getting rooms across from each other?"
Sheldon has been getting better at hugging and Penny enjoys it immensely.
"No. Meemaw only has 1 guest room." Penny freezes, he wouldn't.
"Honey?"
"Yes?"
"Does Meemaw know that we're living together?"
"Yes, I've informed her." One down.
"How about Missy?"
"I have mentioned it during our calls." Two down.
"And your mother?" Penny holds her breath.
"I am unaware. I suppose Meemaw or Missy could have told her."
Penny exhales loudly.
"Penny? While I usually enjoy your hugs, the current pressure you're applying is slightly uncomfortable."
"..."
"Penny?" He squeaks.
"I think I need to show you what Junior Rodeo is, Moonpie."
Finals suck ass. That is all.
Flying alongside Sheldon was a new experience for Penny. He didn't make things easy and Penny was about to snap at him because he had been adapting to change so well, she wasn't sure where this extra-neurotic Sheldon was coming from. He only acted like this when…
Oh, Sheldon was scared.
Seeing things from that perspective made it easier for her to deal with his requests. Holding his hand during the flight is not a chore and it makes him able to even nap for a bit. And before long they're landing in Texas.
Sheldon called a rental service ahead of time so they take an overpriced taxi to the car rental place and 30 mins later they're driving away. Sheldon had just obtained his full fledged driver's license so he's the one that's driving them.
They get a Nissan Pathfinder so while not a full truck they still fit in with the rest of the cars on the road. Penny thought that Sheldon would pick a Sedan but when she asked for the reason behind his choice he had simply said "It's Texas. Trucks are non-negotiable." And if that made sense to him, then it made sense for her.
The drive itself is calm, Penny is tired from having to wake up so early for their flight but Sheldon could not be moved. Not even a very enthusiastic blowjob had made him change his mind so Penny had to wake up at 4 AM to go to the airport.
Seeing the landscape passing by Penny relaxed into the seat, it would take another 30 minutes before they were even close to Galveston. She took the time to enjoy the Texas view as well as seeing Sheldon driving, the sight of seeing him be so confident now behind the wheel made her want to finally take that final step with him.
They still haven't had sex. For now they were having fun with touching and using their mouths on each other, those weekends when she stayed in his room were her favorite. They would not fool around right away because Sheldon needed to take a shower first, but he didn't mind if she joined him during his shower, which made it so Penny was much less frustrated during the exam season.
Kelly had also become a great friend, they had lunch together most days and she had even met Fred, her boyfriend, once. He was a tall and lanky redhead that reminded Penny of Conan O'Brien. He was head over heels in love with Kelly and yeah, they were pretty cute.
She had also stayed in touch with Tamika, unfortunately not as often as she would have liked but they still emailed each other weekly. Apparently Kurt had been allowed to return last fall with his credits still counting and hearing that made Penny glad she was not there, she would have decked the SOB.
Next thing she knows Sheldon is shaking her awake.
"Penny. We've arrived."
Penny squints and looks around her, Sheldon had parked on the street and not in the driveway. The park in front of Meemaw's house had children playing.
"Thank you Honey." A yawn escapes her. "Let's go say hi to your mom first."
Sheldon simply nods and yawns as well. Flying coach tired even the great Sheldon Cooper.
Penny gets out of the truck and checks that the keys haven't been left in the ignition, Sheldon hadn't quite mastered not to do that. Sheldon notices and simply shows her the keys before slipping them in his jacket. She simply smiles at him.
Penny takes a hold of his arm and they walk to Mrs. Cooper house.
"Do you think your mom has cereal? I could go for something to eat."
"If I know my mother, she must have a full lunch ready for us."
"Nice." Penny says and because she feels like it and she can, she nuzzles into his side. Sheldon never responds, but she looks up at him and sees the full smile on his face, his baby koalas smile.
Sheldon tries the front door but it's locked, before Sheldon can start his knocking routine Penny simply rings the bell.
A moment passes and then Missy is opening the door. She looks amazing and Penny feels that she somehow got taller and more statuesque. Penny hates Missy for a moment before launching herself at the Amazonian and hugging the stuffing out of her.
"Hi Missy, I missed you." She says into Missy's dress.
"Hi Penny, darlin', I missed you as well." Penny can hear the smile in Missy's voice and it makes her smile as well.
"Hello Missy." Sheldon's tone is dry but Penny can hear the affection he tries to hide from everyone else.
"Hiya Shelly." Sheldon's eyebrow twitches and Penny grabs a hold of him before he can start ranting about grammar.
"C'mon Moonpie, you promised me lunch." She drags him into the kitchen and sure enough, Mrs. Cooper is cooking up a storm.
"Penny, darlin'," She gives Penny a quick but fierce hug and moves to Sheldon to do the same "Good to see you both." She goes back to the stove.
"Smells wonderful Mrs. Copper." Penny grabs a cup and moves towards the coffee pot.
"None of that Mrs. Cooper. You can call me Mary darlin'." Penny smiles at Mrs. Cooper but doesn't reply, it feels daunting to just call her Mary.
"Mother, where is Meemaw?" Sheldon always has his priorities straight.
"She's smoking in the yard. Go fetch her Shelly, now that you're here we'll have lunch."
Sheldon moves to the backyard in search of his beloved grandmother. It gives Penny time to gossip with Missy, who also has her own cup of coffee.
"Sheldon told me you're bringing a 'young man' to introduce to the family." Penny takes a sip of her cup and forces herself to be patient waiting for the food.
Mrs. Cooper snorts in a very unladylike manner but doesn't actually say anything.
Missy sighs and Penny immediately knows that this young man has been a topic of conversation around this table.
"Yes, yes, yes." It's uncanny how very Sheldon-like Missy can sound. "We know momma, you don't approve."
"I haven't said nothin' " Mrs. Cooper can act coy.
"Anyway, yes Penny. He's coming in on the 21st and staying until the 26th." Missy looks excited despite Mrs. Cooper disapproval.
Mrs. Cooper has her back to them so Penny tries to whisper "Why doesn't your mom approve?" She hopes it low enough.
"Momma is upset because Jonah is a Catholic." Missy answers in a low voice as well.
"I'm not upset." Mrs. Cooper claims as she beats the heck out of the eggs in the pan. "I'm simply worried about the poor boy's soul."
Missy rolls her eyes and Penny decides to stay out of it. No need to let Mrs. Cooper know that Penny's last visit to church was…huh, well, it was a while ago.
Sheldon finally returns with Meemaw and Penny gives the older woman a huge hug which is reciprocated with as much force.
Breakfast is amazing. Mrs. Cooper can cook, but Penny will need to work out a little extra after she goes back home.
Everyone is at the table and Penny hates to do this but better sooner than later. She grabs Sheldon's hand under the table and points with her head to his mother. Sheldon simply looks back confused.
She mouths 'Tell her' but Sheldon still looks confused and she's about to try again when the silence around the table brings her up short. She can already feel something settling in her stomach and it's not the eggs.
Missy and Meemaw are smirking but Mrs. Cooper is pale as a ghost. The feeling gets worse. 'Oh no.'
"Mother. I have something important to tell you." Because life is never fair, it seems that Sheldon finally got it, but Penny still has a bad feeling about this whole situation.
Mrs. Cooper pales even further "Oh Snickerdoodle. You're going to be a daddy." She somehow manages to sound both distressed and delighted at the same time.
Ofuckingcourse.
"WHAT?!" Missy and Meemaw are freaking out. Penny turns to look at Sheldon and he just looks confused by the whole thing but he also doesn't look like he's about to correct his mother.
"NO! People, I'm not pregnant!" Penny stands up and makes sure her voice is clear. "No Mini-Coopers here. Stop freaking out." Penny is freaking out because this entire thing derailed super quickly.
"Aw" Strangely enough the one to voice her disappointment so clearly is Mrs. Cooper herself and Penny just presses the bridge of her nose. 'This is your new family Penny.'
"Moonpie, don't let go of this one. I really like her." Meemaw is already laughing about the entire thing.
"Don't worry Meemaw, I don't intend to." Okay, that was super sweet but not the right time for it. "No, mother, I was not announcing Penny's pregnancy." Sheldon is back on topic. "I simply wanted to inform you that Penny has transferred to UCLA and is currently living with me."
"Oh. Your Meemaw had already told me that." Mrs. Cooper looks nonplussed by what Penny had assumed would be a bombshell.
"Yeah Moonpie, your mother knew right away, I knew she would need time to adapt to the idea."
The look Sheldon gave her made Penny understand that Sheldon understood the concept of 'I told you so'.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go unpack Moonpie, we need a nap." Penny says it without thinking and cringes before looking back at Mrs. Cooper but the woman is doing her best to pretend she didn't hear it.
Whatever worked for her, worked for Penny as well.
Leading Sheldon by the hand they went back to the truck for their stuff.
Penny was walking towards their truck still holding onto Sheldon's arm but this time she was pinching his ribs.
"You little shit. You knew your Meemaw would tell your mom."
"Penny! I bruise easily, stop it." Sheldon tried to evade her but Penny was undeterred.
"It was so embarrassing Sheldon." Penny stopped messing with him and buried herself in his jacket "I was so scared that your mom would hate me." Her voice is muffled but he has Vulcan hearing.
"That's ridiculous Penny! My mother appreciates your presence and she would not have invited you here if she hated you."
"No Moonpie, I know your mom likes me…but, you know, things are different now. We're in a relationship and living together and your mom, well, she can be a little intense with the church stuff."
"I'd say. Were you aware that after the entire town found out about my father cheating on her she still went to church that next Sunday? She had to endure the stares of all those people."
Penny hears something in his voice and turns away from the comfort of his jacket to look up at him. "Is that why you moved your mom back to Galveston?"
Sheldon frowns and his mouth twitches a little but he sighs and nods. "Otherwise she would have stayed there suffering the same thing over and over."
"Aw Moonpie, that's cute." Penny hides her face again in his jacket, Meemaw was right, he had a huge heart. People just failed to see it.
"Penny. The children are watching."
Penny turned to look at him again and noticed that he was looking across the street. Sure enough, a group of 5 boys and 1 girl were watching them intently from the park. None of them must have been older than ten.
"Kiss already!" One of the boys shouted. "With tongue!" The only girl added after a moment.
"Yikes. Let's go take that nap Moonpie." Penny dragged Sheldon back to the truck as the children groaned and booed. They scattered back to keep playing.
"Penny, should I bring this bag inside as well or do you prefer we keep it in the truck?" Sheldon hefted a large bag that contained all the presents she got for Sheldon's family.
"Oh! Let's bring it inside, the last thing we need is for someone to take it."
Meemaw's house was comfy and smelled like cigarette smoke. Sheldon, her wonderful boyfriend that complained about cigarette smell at every restaurant they went to, said nothing.
The guest room was plenty big, Penny had been worried that the bed would be a single but it was a Queen. She loved spending the night with Sheldon but almost three weeks sleeping in a single, sounded like a bad idea all around.
"C'mon Sheldon, I'm tired." Penny removes her shoes and lies on top of the bed, motions for Sheldon to join her, the yawn it's unintended but it highlights how tired she is.
"Just a moment Penny." Sheldon is fiddling with the alarm clock next to the bed but after a moment he also removes his shoes and lies next to her.
Penny is tired but she's also a cuddler so she drags her sleepy ass over to Sheldon and uses the crook of his arm to settle in for a nap. They didn't even remove their jackets but she's comfortable and doesn't want to move anymore.
"G'night Moonpie." Another yawn almost interrupts her.
"Goodnight Penny." Sheldon's arm goes around her side and Penny knows nothing more.
The alarm clock is hell and wakes them up. Penny is now on her own side of the bed and she can feel sweat cover her sides, sleeping with a jacket on wasn't her greatest idea but she had been dead tired.
Opening one eye she looks at the alarm clock and it's a little past five in the afternoon.
Sheldon looks like she feels but he's getting up from the bed without complaining and looks down at her. Penny raises her arms and opens and closes her hands in her best 'I'm baby, pick me up' impression. Sheldon laughs his breathy little laugh and helps her up.
"Ugh, I'm still tired."
"I must agree with that sentiment."
"Early dinner and we go to bed?"
"Agreed."
They move downstairs and Meemaw is watching the TV, horse racing of all things.
"Hiya Moonpie, Girlie." At least she's not smoking.
"Hi Meemaw." Penny takes a seat next to her on the couch and like it's the most natural thing in the world, Meemaw opens her arm and Penny leans against her side and closes her eyes. It felt good.
"Shelly, your mom has a church thing tonight and she's taking Missy with her. So it's just us for dinner."
Sheldon nods and takes a seat next to Penny. "We were discussing having an early dinner. Penny and I are still quite tired."
"Sounds like a plan Moonpie."
Penny has to get up from her comfy position because she was about to doze off, rubbing her eyes and yawning makes Meemaw chuckle for some reason.
"Alright kiddos, my treat. Ya drive and I pay for dinner."
"Meemaw, we couldn't-" Meemaw is having none of it.
"Moonpie, are ya sassing me?" Sheldon is most likely missing the teasing in her voice.
"No Meemaw."
"C'mon, let's go. Penny darlin' what are ya in the mood for?" Meemaw slaps Penny's knee lightly.
Penny hums thinking it over "Seafood any good?" She could go for some crab cakes.
"Ohhhh nice choice Girlie, there's this place that has a great Po'boy and Beignets." Meemaw is already moving to the door only to double back to get her purse.
Penny laughs a little, Meemaw has more energy than Sheldon and Penny together. She takes hold of Sheldon's arm and starts following Meemaw. "C'mon Moonpie, let's go. I'm already hungry again."
"Penny, what if the restaurant is dirty?" Some anxiety in his voice.
"I'll scope the place first, excuse myself to go to the restroom and peek in the kitchen, make sure they have their cleaning schedule posted and everything. Meanwhile you check the table, cutlery and all that jazz" Penny pats his arm.
Sheldon could be a little particular about where to eat. He would usually visit a place first take a look at how clean it was before deciding to stay to eat or bailing out. But he trusted Penny, she worked as a waitress enough to spot how truly clean a place was and yeah, ever since meeting Sheldon she was definitely more careful about where she ate. Except McDonald's, you can pry the breakfast burrito out of her dead, cold hands before she stops visiting.
"Thank you penny. That would be acceptable." Sheldon smiles at her and a little flutter of something in her stomach makes her go up to kiss him. She's scared that he won't kiss her back since they haven't brushed their teeth but Sheldon simply kisses her back, it's chaste and quick. Penny is smiling at him as they separate.
"But you're driving."
Sheldon groans "If I must."
Meemaw is already waiting for them near the truck, and throws the house keys at Penny. "Lock the door Girlie please." Penny makes sure the house is locked and returns the keys to Meemaw. "Thank ya Girlie. Now let's go People!"
Meemaw jumps into the passenger seat of the truck. Penny climbs into the back and Sheldon is the last one to get in.
"Now Girlie, I'll give ya the directions, it's pretty close by." Meemaw is looking for something in her purse, it's starting to get dark out so she's having issues. "For now, just back out and drive to the right, just around the corner, we're going straight into 19th street until ya hit the beach and then another right and ya can't miss it."
Sheldon starts driving following Meemaw's directions. All of that time practicing worked wonders, while still a little paranoid on the road, Sheldon was a perfectly normal-speed driver.
"Where did I leave that gosh damn lip balm." Meemaw still had no luck with her purse.
"Here Meemaw." Penny extended her hand.
"Thank ya darli-" Meemaw froze while handing Penny the purse. Her eyes were locked on Penny sitting in the back.
"Meemaw?" Penny didn't want to freak out but the older woman was not moving.
"Girlie." Meemaw's voice was a harsh whisper. "Whose driving?"
"Umm Sheldon?" Penny didn't see the reason for Meemaw's sudden attitude. "Are you okay Meemaw?"
"Moonpie?"
"Yes Meemaw?" Sheldon was none the wiser about the freak out happening inches away.
"When did ya learn to drive?" Meemaw still looked anxious but she was trying to keep it cool.
"When Penny moved in. Due to our conflicting schedules, it would have been impossible for her to drive me around."
"Improbable." Penny mutters and she just knows that Sheldon wants to turn and give her a look but he won't take his eyes off the road.
Sheldon keeps going "Because of that, Penny took it upon herself to teach me and allowed me to practice under her supervision. Penny is a very effective teacher, Meemaw."
"Is she now?" Meemaw is no longer freaking out, instead looks pensive.
In the time it took for Sheldon to explain his new abilities, Penny was able to locate the lip balm and she handed it over to Meemaw alongside her purse.
"Penny." So far Meemaw had only used 'Girlie' to refer to her, and Penny liked it. Meemaw was the grandma she never had. So this sudden serious tone and Meemaw using her name makes Penny nervous.
"Yes Meemaw?"
Meemaw turns in her seat and holds Penny's hand tightly, looks her in the eye and even in the darkened interior Penny can see her eyes are bright. "Ya take care of him, ya hear me?"
There's an intensity in her voice that scares Penny. Not scared because she basically just gave them her blessing, but because it sounds like a goodbye and yeah Penny is reading too much into it but her throat closes and her eyes sting. Penny doesn't want to lose Meemaw.
Penny can only nod and give her a watery smile. Meemaw returns her smile and turns back to look at Sheldon again. She's looking at him differently, she looks proud but also…content, like a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
"I'm proud of ya Moonpie."
"Thank you Meemaw." Sheldon is unsure of why he was suddenly praised but he still smiles happily.
The Diner is all functional, not one of those fancy restaurants. For some reason the sign at the front says 'Welcome Jeep People'.
Thankfully the place is clean and even Sheldon approves of the cutlery.
Meemaw seems to be a regular here, or at least she seems to know all the waitresses and the guy behind the bar.
The shrimp Po'boy is amazing as promised, Sheldon's shrimp and grits also get praise and Meemaw devours her Gumbo.
Dinner goes by quickly and soon they're back at Meemaw's.
"Go to bed, kids. It's too early for me but y'all been traveling and need the extra shut eye."
They say goodnight and move upstairs. While Sheldon is using the bathroom for his night routine, shower included, Penny grabs the bags containing gifts and moves them to the closet.
A fantastic pair of Jimmy Choo Heels that the boutique had and that thanks to her employee discount she was able to afford. For Missy.
Mrs. Cooper will get a pretty cute but conservative sweater in a wonderful pastel blue. Penny didn't want to risk getting her something she would never wear.
Meemaw was a bit harder to shop for. Sheldon hadn't been too helpful either, according to him the perfect gift would have been a box of bird shot. Instead she got Meemaw a charm bracelet, it had stars with blue and green details. Penny knew it was childish and she might not like it but it just felt right for some reason.
The Final Boss. Moonpie PhD. Penny got stumped for a long while, basically because Sheldon bought himself anything he truly wanted. She had wanted to buy him a camera and boom, he arrived one day with his new Canon EOS 1Ds. After researching what board games he enjoyed she was going to order the English version of 'Prophecy' only to find out he had pre-ordered it months ago. Sheldon buys video games on Day 1. He doesn't use jewelry or accessories. So she did the only thing that was available to her. Ask for a favor.
Kelly once during lunch had said 'Leonard Nimoy often goes to the bar where Fred works at.' For her it had been an offhand comment. Just a fun piece of trivia that no one would think about twice. For Penny it was salvation. It had taken her to agree to introduce Fred to Sheldon but after all was said and done she had a professionally framed A4 piece of paper with 'Live long and prosper my friend. To Sheldon Cooper from Leonard Nimoy. Ps. You have a great girlfriend.'
She was sure that Sheldon was going to love it.
As for Missy's catholic boy, well he wasn't in the plans but still, Penny would go to Walmart or Target and get him a novelty pair of socks or something.
Sheldon returns to the room and Penny quickly moves to do her own nightly routine. She debates on not showering but in the end she decides to go for it.
The queen bed feels amazing, her last thought before drifting off to sleep in Sheldon's arms is that they need to buy one for their apartment.
Waking up that first morning in Meemaw's guest room is heaven. Texas never really gets cold, at least not like Nebraska, but the morning is a bit chilly.
Sheldon is still in bed with her and despite the larger bed she woke up on top of him like back in Pasadena. Squinting her eyes at the alarm clock reveals that it's only 5:55 AM and she lets her head drop back on Sheldon's chest.
"I know you're awake Moonpie." Penny mumbles into Sheldon's pajamas.
"Go back to sleep Penny. The alarm won't sound." Sheldon sounds properly awake.
"Nah. Not sleepy anymore. But we don't really have plans either."
Sheldon hums in thought. "We could always go visit the Railroad Museum." He almost manages the casual tone.
"Yeah, don't think I didn't notice your mom's house just happens to be really close to that particular museum." She had looked into the stuff to do in Galveston and the first thing to pop up was that little fact.
"Just a coincidence. I assure you." Penny doesn't even need to look up at him to know his face is twitching.
"Uh huh, right, just a coincidence." She finally looks up at him and rests her chin on his chest. "How about the Moody Mansion? I heard it's a must."
"Oh! I had wanted to go there."
They make plans in bed as the sun rises higher, neither is in a rush to move.
They talk about their plans, about what his mom will cook for Christmas dinner, Missy and her boyfriend and if Georgie, Mandy and Ceecee will come for Christmas.
"Oh crap! I forgot to buy something for Ceecee." Penny moans.
"Penny. Ceecee will turn twelve soon. I believe she has outgrown Santa Claus." Sheldon never failed to be a Grinch.
"Nah Moonpie. We gotta make a mall run to find something for her." Penny bites her lip in thought. "She was really into videogames last time we saw her, right?"
"You are correct. She had a Pink Game Boy Color and was playing Pokemon Gold. She also requested your assistance with a boss battle in her The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening playthrough. Which you were able to help her clear thanks to my assistance."
"There's a new version of the Game Boy right?"
"Yes. The Game Boy Advance."
Penny bit her lip in thought. "Do you think your brother would be mad if we got her that for Christmas?"
"I…am unsure." Sheldon says slowly and it's only when his brother comes up that he acts like this.
"Hey Moonpie, what happened with your brother? Why do you two walk on eggshells around each other?"
"I don't know." His face is clear of twitching so he's being truthful. "After our father died, he changed."
"Did you two have a fight?" Penny could see that this topic ate at Sheldon, not only because it was something he didn't understand but also because as much as he griped about his family, Sheldon loved all of them.
"Our last conversation was terse but not confrontational."
"Huh, what did you talk about?"
"Georgie asked that before Mother could move to Galveston that her mortgage should be paid first. I agreed to it but that only seemed to upset Georgie more."
"Wait, I feel that I'm missing a lot of context here." Penny was trying to wrap her head around this issue, she was sure that Sheldon had missed something. "You paid for the mortgage in full?" A nod from Sheldon. "Who was making the payments before that?"
"My father was."
"Umm okay Moonpie, help me with the math here. Your dad passed away when you were thirteen right?" She waits for him to nod. "And you moved your mom here when you were fifteen or sixteen."
"Fifteen. Correct."
"So that means that for two years no one was making payments?"
Sheldon blinks in surprise and looks pensive.
"That is not possible, the house would have been seized by the bank…unless Georgie was making the payments."
"Were you making money at the age of thirteen?"
"No. Yes. I had earned some awards but I always allowed my parents to manage it. It wasn't until the age of fifteen that I truly was able to make my own financial decisions."
Penny was taking a shot in the dark.
"Maybe Georgie feels that his efforts in making sure your mom kept the house were not appreciated?"
"I…" It was rare that Sheldon was left speechless, but Penny was not going to intrude in this realization. "I assumed that Meemaw had taken care of the mortgage but, this conversation has brought new information that I believe would make the action of buying Mother a house seem unappreciative of Georgie's effort to not lose our childhood home."
"And I know you're special Honey, but still, it must have been frustrating to see his younger brother pay a mortgage and then go buy a house." Penny's voice is soft. Sheldon can be frustrating, he does things without looking at the people around him. And that worked perfectly for him in his job, but in his personal life, it left something to be desired. Penny was used to it and she had her Sheldon translator on all the time so it was easy to understand why he did something, but she also had to put her foot down and tell Sheldon outright why something was not a good idea or even veto some of his plans. Like leashing himself to bus seats.
But Sheldon was more than capable of understanding other people, you just had to guide him a little.
"I believe that I need to speak with Georgie."
They go to his mother's house for breakfast and it's another amazing meal. Mrs Cooper made some mean pancakes.
After breakfast Penny goes with Sheldon to the backyard, they sit on his mom's porch swing and Sheldon calls his brother.
It's slow going, both Sheldon and Georgie are stubborn. It takes them a while to actually start talking about important stuff, Penny lies down and uses Sheldon's leg as a pillow. His accent grows stronger when he's stressed and that call is all Texas.
They manage to clear the air somewhat, it's clear that they will never be the best of friends but maybe they can start being brothers again. Sheldon looks tired but happy after the call ends.
"Georgie says it's fine if we buy Ceecee the Game Boy Advance, but it must be clear that it's from the both of us and that it counts as two gifts. We can get her one game as well, but only one game."
"You did good Moonpie." She smiles up at him still laying in his lap and he smiles back at her.
Sheldon is not perfect, but he's pretty damn great.
Turns out that Meemaw also needs to go to the mall and then Missy also tags along.
Penny wanted to make this into a sort of date but Meemaw and Missy are too much fun and she wishes she could have had this type of relationship with her own sister and mom.
"Missy, you take Penny and go buy that boy of yours something that he'll actually wear." Penny had voiced her plan of buying Jonah some funny socks and Missy was all for it. "Moonpie and I will go buy that darn Gamesomething and we'll meet you in front of the Jamba Juice."
Sheldon's face is twitching a little but before Penny can question him Missy is pulling her towards the clothing stores.
They still end up buying Jonah a pair of socks, they're really cute, mostly black with white stars all over it and some yellow sparkles but what made Penny get them is the white and red spaceships that travel around the socks. She does get him a pretty decent sweater that is approved by Missy. The store does gift wrapping so she makes sure the card says it's from both her and Sheldon.
By the time they get to the Jamba Juice both Meemaw and Sheldon each have a cup in their hands. Sheldon is holding a bag and she looks in to make sure but all she sees is the gift wrapped box, at least the card does say that it's from the both of them.
"The closest color to pink was fuchsia so I bought that one. I also bought her the new Pokemon game." His face twitches "And a new RPG game that has been receiving a lot of praise, it's called Golden Sun and-" Penny simply shakes her head and goes to order a smoothie.
Penny loves the Moody Mansion, especially because she has her own tour guide in Sheldon. Sadly they still have time to visit the Railroad museum…no man should look that excited at the idea of trains.
Jonah appears and Penny is not sure what she was expecting but the short (he's the same height as Penny) man is not it. He's handsome and seems to always have a smile plastered on his face and even Sheldon can't help but like the guy.
Jonah is studying to become a pediatrician and he's so in love with Missy. He also has the heaviest Boston accent she's ever heard.
Penny can see Mrs Cooper doing her best to dislike Jonah but even she ends up throwing the towel and by the end of dinner Mrs Cooper has extended him an invitation for next Thanksgiving and Christmas.
That same night, Penny can't sleep. Being surrounded by all of these people that became her family makes her think of her family back in Nebraska. She goes to the backyard.
Just like last year there's someone already there but this time is Mrs Cooper.
"Penny, darlin'. Come, come." Mrs Cooper pats the space next to her in the porch swing. She's smoking and the floor at her feet is littered with cigarette butts. Mrs Cooper takes a drag of her lit cigarette as Penny takes a seat. "Don't tell my children about this. It's my one cigarette a year." Penny doesn't refute it.
"I couldn't sleep. I hope I'm not bothering you."
"Nonsense darlin', you're family." Mrs Cooper covers Penny's legs with half the blanket she was using.
"You know…" Penny hesitates for a moment, decides to push through. "I'm really thankful for your son. I really don't know where I would be if it weren't for him." She plays with the blanket, Mrs Cooper has been the only one that Penny has felt some sort of barrier with and she knows it might be just in her head.
"The Lord works in wonderful ways." Mrs Cooper is smiling kindly. "I love my Snickerdoodle but I have to admit that, well, I was afraid he would be alone." It looks like she wants to say more but settles for "I'm glad he found you."
"Me too." The silence is comfortable, the distant waves are a welcome sound. "Umm, I don't know when or how. But I am certain that your boy and I are getting married." Penny turns to look straight at Mrs Cooper. She is as certain of this as she is of the sun coming out tomorrow.
Mrs Cooper takes another long drag and nods slowly "I figured that was the case." A long pause "My Shelly was always special. But that also made him lonely, we loved him but couldn't understand him." another drag "He was always able to pick up things quickly. He plays piano, you know?"
Penny had seen the Yamaha keyboard in the apartment but had never seen Sheldon play it.
"He stopped playing when the woman teaching him called him a robot. 'All technique and no feeling.'" Mrs Cooper laughs but not in amusement. "Should have decked the bitch." Throws the cigarette butt to the floor and lights a new one. "May she rest in peace."
"Most people will never know how big of heart he really has." Penny had already made peace with this fact. More Sheldon for her.
Mrs Cooper nods "You take care of each other now. Don't let anyone get between you."
"Promise."
"This is your home now as well you hear me?"
Penny doesn't respond but she lets her head rest on Mrs Cooper's shoulder.
Texas was home.
The days leading up to Christmas are calm. Penny doesn't want to think about school, because while it was true that it was no longer a pain point for her, it didn't mean that she had to focus only on it.
Shopping with Missy, Mrs Cooper teaching her to cook and Meemaw's baking lessons fill her days and she knows it's useless to think about what ifs, but Sheldon introduced her to the subject of alternate universes. Ever since she's wondered if there's another world where she doesn't meet Sheldon, she hopes that world doesn't exist.
Penny helps a little with Christmas dinner and by that she means that she's staying with Sheldon in Meemaw's house watching movies.
Mrs Cooper is a woman on a mission while cooking and you don't want to get in her way. Missy is out with Jonah and they'll be back in time for dinner…after the church service. Jonah is not the religious type but he knows his presence will cause more issues.
Penny and Sheldon will also not go to church and Penny is glad that Mrs Cooper isn't pushing them. Church doesn't hold a special place in her heart and she's more than happy to skip it. Meemaw will go though, so they only have one mission while everyone else is out of the house.
Keep an eye on the turkey and baste it.
"Remember darlin' every 30 minutes."
"Got it." It was the 6th time she reminded them.
"Now, we'll be back at nine at the latest."
"Yes mother." Even Sheldon was annoyed by this point.
"Mary, leave the kids alone and move! You know I want to sit upfront."
"Mom! That pastor is married and-"
Their voices fade as they leave the house and Penny has to chuckle, Meemaw liked going to church since 'Reverend Yummy Pants' as she called him, became the pastor of their church.
"Is your Meemaw going to be like this when we help her with the brisket?"
Sheldon shakes his head and Penny is relieved "No, she'll be worse."
Of course, she should have known.
"Come here Moonpie, I know a way we can spend 30 minutes." Penny goes up on her toes and kisses Sheldon.
He's gotten better at this sudden kiss thing. He doesn't even hesitate before kissing her back. Penny is the one who deepens the kiss. They've been on their best behavior while in Texas and have been unable to do anything more than kiss chastely.
It was driving her mad.
She had intended for this to just be a couple of kisses and then they could go watch a movie, but now her hands were in his hair and Sheldon was pushing her hips against him and it was kind of getting out of hand.
Penny tries to stop, she really does, but Sheldon bites her lip and she stops thinking with her brain. Somehow she's on the kitchen counter right next to the sink and she knows that she should stop this because Sheldon is not saying anything about it.
She doesn't, she just keeps kissing him.
Penny moans into the kiss when Sheldon's hand makes its way under her shirt, he's just touching her back but there's something great about feeling his hand splay on her back.
'Ah fuck it.' Penny knows that they might regret this but she starts working on unbuckling his belt and Sheldon doesn't protest.
Sheldon's wristwatch rings an alarm and it makes them stop. Both are panting and neither understands why the alarm sounds, until Penny remembers their one task.
"Fuck, the turkey."
Penny tries to shake some of the fog in her mind and like a robot she goes through the motions of basting the turkey while ignoring her brain's comment of 'If only Sheldon basted you like that.'
She can hear Sheldon moving to the living room and it makes her breathe a sigh of both relief and disappointment. It's fine, they were getting too into it anyway.
Turkey safely basted, Penny moves to the living room expecting Sheldon to be watching TV but instead he's just sitting on the couch and watching her. A little shiver goes through her.
'Well, maybe just a little more.'
"I can't believe that I messed up."
"Calm down darlin' We'll just go watch it tomorrow, the tickets are for the evening anyway. Plenty of time for gifts and family."
Missy had been looking forward to the movie. She always liked Leonardo DiCaprio and rumor was that in 'Catch me if you can' he did a full front nudity scene. No way she was missing that. And she was fine with waiting a day but Jonah kept beating himself up. Momma would joke that it's all that Catholic guilt.
Shelly and Penny were in charge of watching the turkey so she knew they were at home.
"We can watch a movie with my brother and Penny." Missy opens the front door and is frozen in place.
"Missy?" She's taller than him so she's covering the view.
"Argh my eyes!" Missy is being dramatic but she doesn't care, she just saw her brother's junk and that's just not alright. "We're going to Meemaw's! And fuck's sake, open a window!" She yells behind her and drags a confused Jonah to Meemaw's house.
Penny is honestly not sure how it got so out of hand.
One moment she and Sheldon are making out on the couch, the next they're both shirtless, a kiss and like magic they're not wearing pants anymore.
She's straddling him and then Sheldon is holding her by the hips while she guides him inside of her.
It's frantic and not as romantic as she thought their first time was going to be. Penny still kisses Sheldon and he's the one that deepens the kiss this time.
He soon finds the right angle that makes her go weak and she tries to move but she's close so she lets Sheldon take the wheel. His hands feel huge on her hips, like he can cover her without effort.
Penny can't kiss him anymore, she's so close. Instead she bites his shoulder, hard. She can't help it, she's coming. Sheldon buries his hand in her hair, maybe to pull her off from his shoulder, but his own climax hits and instead he's pulling her closer, trying to make them one being.
They're both panting, exhausted and all fucked out.
Of course that's the moment Missy makes an appearance. Penny can't help but laugh as Sheldon starts freaking out.
"I don't want to move but we have to clean."
"Penny! Missy saw us!" Sheldon was blushing tomato red.
"Yeah, we should have locked the door." Penny is still resting her forehead on his shoulder.
"What if she tells our Mother?"
"Relax Moonpie. Trust me, she won't." Penny was getting sleepy and she was not looking forward to having to put back on her panties before cleaning herself up. But all of her clothes were in Meemaw's house.
"How do you know?" Sheldon was too wired for someone that had just had sex for the first time.
"I just know. Now, pass me my panties unless you want to explain to your mom why we had to burn her carpet."
They clean themselves up as best as they can, which is better than nothing. They do open all the windows they can and Penny is able to find a couple of incense sticks that she hopes are enough.
They also baste the turkey again, definitely not within the schedule set by Mrs Cooper but Penny hopes she won't notice.
They're two steps into Meemaw's house when Missy and Jonah start clapping and whistling.
Sheldon is so embarrassed that he doesn't even argue with Missy about the whistling. Penny walks all the way upstairs with her head held high knowing that she's blushing just as much as Sheldon.
Penny showers first and changes clothes, maybe Mrs Cooper won't notice the change. She goes back to Mrs Cooper's kitchen ignoring Missy and Jonah on the way out of Meemaw's house. Basting the turkey is easy.
Making sure the living room doesn't smell like sex…it's a mixed result. Maybe there's a fan somewhere in here?
Missy comes to the rescue with a bottle of Febreze from somewhere and Penny hopes it's enough. The windows stay open even though it's getting chilly.
Mrs Cooper and Meemaw come back from church, neither mention anything. Not even the fact that every single window was open.
Penny is ready to pretend that nothing happened and that they're getting away with it. The rest have different plans.
"Smells like the back of Pop-Pop's van in here." Meemaw is on the verge of cackling and Penny can see her vibrate with all the energy of a toddler in a sugar high.
"Shelly always liked stuffing." This from Missy accompanied by a horrible eyebrow waggle.
Jonah was acting like a damn kid, every time he glanced at either Sheldon or Penny he would start giggling in what he thought was a discreet manner.
Sheldon has been unable to look at his mother's face and every time she talks to him he starts twitching something wild.
Penny thinks she's handling herself very well but the heat in her face tells her otherwise. The dinner is amazing but Penny can hardly taste anything.
But Mrs Cooper doesn't mention anything and Penny can almost believe that she's getting away with it. That is until everyone is saying goodnight and Mrs Cooper hugs her and whispers "Babies can wait" And holy shit, that just about kills Penny.
Of course Meemaw can't let them go to bed without a parting shot "I'm a heavy sleeper, so ya kids feel free to go plum wild."
Penny has never blushed so much in her life.
It's not until they're cuddling in bed that they talk about it.
"We're just two horny monkeys." Penny grumbles against Sheldon's chest.
"As much as I would like to disagree…yes, we are." Sheldon sounds just as upset as her.
"Never having sex again." Penny wants to crawl into a hole.
"...I would like to voice my disapproval towards that course of action."
Penny finally laughs because yeah, she is not stopping either. It had been great and pretty close to mind blowing. 'Thank God for eidetic memories."
"Yeah, just kidding." But Sheldon lets out a sigh of relief.
"Wackadoodle." Penny can't help the fondness from bleeding through. "I love you."
"I love you too."
It's weird how easy the word comes for her. She had been ready to fall in love but she hadn't said those words to any of her past boyfriends. It just didn't feel right. Love was something precious.
Penny is really happy to have found it.
Christmas morning goes amazingly well. Georgie is there first thing in the morning to have breakfast with them and also to open gifts.
Missy and Mrs Cooper's gifts are met with great praise and the hugs Penny receives feel like all the Christmases she never had with them.
She's handing Meemaw her gift when Penny gets hit with a wave of embarrassment so big that it threatens to swallow her whole. 'This was dumb, it's so dumb!' Penny is already regretting it but Meemaw takes the box from her hand before Penny can snatch it back and make an excuse. Sheldon takes a hold of her, a shy smile is on his face and it takes a moment to realize he's trying to encourage her, to make her feel better.
She squeezes his hand back and lets herself fall back into the couch, pressing herself tightly against Sheldon's side. His presence is a soothing balm against her embarrassment.
"Oh Girlie, this is wonderful." Meemaw's voice pulls her back into the now. Meemaw is looking at the bracelet and admiring it as if it were something precious.
Penny wants to speak up, to justify herself. She knows it's a childish gift. But before she can say anything Meemaw is pulling her to her feet and hugging so tightly that Penny can't do anything but cry, she's not even sure why she's crying. But Meemaw is there to hold her while she calms down.
Jonah lightens the mood making a big fuss about the socks and how much he loves them. He also surprises Missy with a beautiful silver cross.
Ceecee can't wait any longer and asks if she can open her presents now and Mrs Cooper tells her to go ahead. That kid tears through wrapping paper like a racoon and soon has clothes, a new barbie doll, a colored pencil set that makes Penny jealous and finally she opens the Game Boy Advance and immediately goes to give Sheldon and her a huge hug while babbling thank you so fast that it sounds like she's speaking tongues.
Mrs Cooper's voice breaks through "All right, all right, let's go have breakfast." Everyone moves to go to the kitchen but Sheldon speaks up.
"Mother. I actually have a gift for Penny as well."
Anyone that knows Sheldon Cooper just had their world destroyed. Which means only Jonah is left wondering why everyone looks so shocked.
Sheldon clears his throat "Penny. Meemaw informed me that people in a relationship give each other gifts to show affection and that it's not about reciprocity." He's nervous. "Here." From his pocket he produces a small velvet box and the room takes a collective surprised breath.
'HOLYFUCK!' Penny doesn't want to freak out, but she's freaking out. She knows that she told his mother that they were getting married but this is too sudden, they haven't discussed it. 'HOLYCRAP!' Penny can see herself marrying Sheldon but isn't this too soon?
Her eyes are locked in the box and she knows it's not possible but that moment right before Sheldon opens it feels infinite.
'Do I want to marry Sheldon?' She doesn't even hesitate. 'Yes, yes I do.'
The box finally opens to reveal…earrings?
Meemaw's laughter is so much like Sheldon's that Penny knows right away she's behind this entire thing.
The earrings are beautiful emerald and gold studs. She will be able to wear them to school and not look out of place. Part of her is relieved and another part is disappointed, she doesn't want to investigate to know which part is bigger.
"Sheldon, Honey. They're gorgeous." Penny takes the box from his hands and truly looks at them. Ignores Mrs Cooper in the background telling off Meemaw and her pranks.
"Wait here, one second. I actually got you something as well." Penny runs to Meemaw's house, grabs Sheldon's gift and then books it back. She's panting 'I need to exercise more.'
"I wanted to give you this in private because I know how you feel about gift giving." Penny says panting "But I couldn't wait after this." She hands him the wrapped frame.
"Oh! I wasn't expecting an-" Sheldon's long fingers make quick work of the wrapping and he freezes once he catches sight of the framed paper.
Penny had been so confident about the gift but now she's having second thoughts "I thought that-" She's not able to finish her sentence. Before she can react Sheldon has already grabbed her and kissed her.
It's slow and deep and it makes her toes curl. Penny is stunned for a moment but soon enough she's responding in kind and it's only Ceecee's awed 'Wow' that brings Penny back to the present. That and needing oxygen.
Her Moonpie was a pretty fast learner.
"Okay, break it up you two. No need to show Ceecee how babies are made." Meemaw's joke makes the adults groan, and it makes Ceecee look back and forth between Sheldon and Penny like she could really see it happening.
Overall, one of Penny's best Christmases.
Paige started 2003 on a good note. Working.
She was working as an assistant to the curator in the Red River Valley Museum. The same museum she and Sheldon visited all those years ago.
Paige was perfectly aware that her parents, teachers and everyone else thought that she was wasting her life, but this job made her happy. Being a child prodigy is a curse, having to bear everyone's expectations and not being able to live her life like a regular person, always having to look in and never be able to participate.
Sheldon was different from her and all other other child geniuses. He didn't need people.
She's not sure why but she's still following his career closely and just as she suspected, he's a trailblazer, debunking and confirming formulas, theories left and right without concern for what people might think.
Sheldon left Texas and didn't look back. He did what she couldn't do.
How could he so easily abandon everything in his life? Paige wonders if she can become like him but just the thought of all those expectations makes her want to curl up and cry.
And yet, some days she wonders…what if she had stayed with him?
A memory of him spitting and retching after she kissed him comes unbidden to her. The humiliation and shame are fresh. No. She would rather be normal, Sheldon could never be with a regular person, he most likely would stay alone for the rest of his life AND be okay with it.
She's arranging a display of Quanah Parker and thinking about Sheldon when a childish voice breaks through her thoughts.
"Uncle Sheldon. Why are some so big?" A kid is in front of the flint points display.
Paige almost laughs, here she was thinking about Sheldon and someone just happens to be named Sheldon. Her mirth dies as soon as the person responds to the question.
She knows that voice, the almost arrogance always present. The tone of indifference makes Paige remember the tall gangly teenager she had a crush on.
The tall and wiry man that stands next to the child is handsome and Paige rages a little in her head, of course he had to be handsome as well. The familiar tingle in her belly reminds her that she hasn't gone on a date in 8 months, hasn't gotten laid in almost a year.
Of course Sheldon is not bothering to look her way, but Paige still stays hidden behind the displays. She wants to know more about the boy she once knew, or at least the boy she thought she knew. Very recently he published a paper about antimatter that got a lot of buzz and some of the people she still knew in those circles claimed it would be a breakthrough, but Paige refused to read it. She had left that part of her life behind.
Sheldon looks happy, which isn't what she expected. Didn't he know how many people looked up to him? How many expectations and hopes sat on his shoulders? He's just standing there explaining basic history to his niece?
"Wait. So people can mistake flint for fossils?"
The voice belongs to a young blond woman standing next to Sheldon. Poor girl, she's in for a surprise, Sheldon is being kind to his niece but that doesn't extend to strangers.
"Correct. You can see more about this in the next display." Sheldon points to the correct display and Paige sucks in a breath when that hand is pulled by the blond girl. Except, the blow up never comes, Sheldon allows himself to be led by the hand like some pre-schooler.
Paige is working, she shouldn't be following guests around. Tries to remove the image from her mind, but it's impossible, she needs to see more.
She follows them discreetly, it's obvious that Sheldon and the blond girl know each other, but Paige is too far away and can't listen in on them. Decides to risk it and moves closer, pretending to adjust the display next to the one they're watching.
The little girl is between Sheldon and the blond girl, holding onto their hands and the image is that of a happy family. Something ugly churns in her stomach.
"Penny, could you hogtie a Polar bear?" The little girl turns eyes full of adoration towards the blond woman. Penny.
"Of course Sweetie." Paige is close to snorting out loud but holds it in, Sheldon will not let that comment go unchallenged.
"Is that true Uncle Sheldon?" The same eyes turn to Sheldon.
"It is. Penny can do anything." Sheldon's face has never been as expressive as it is in that moment, the fond smile and bright eyes make Paige grit her teeth.
'What the hell is going on?' This can't be Sheldon Cooper.
The blond woman. Penny. Is delighted and goes up to her toes to kiss Sheldon.
And. He. Allows. It.
'What the fuck?' He not only allows it, he kisses her back like it's the most natural thing in the world.
Paige is not really paying attention to what the girls are saying. She only has eyes for Sheldon, because this is not possible, he had gagged at her kiss, not the one where she tricked him to kiss her fingers, no, the one in his college dorm.
She had been honest, and had been rejected.
It isn't until one of the tour guides asks her if she's okay that Paige moves, and she realizes that Sheldon and his group are gone. She does a basic sweep of the museum but they're no longer there. In a way it's a relief, she can go back to her life.
Can she?
Paige remembers that her phone has a number saved that she hasn't called since Sheldon left for Germany.
Missy is waiting for dinner alongside everyone else.
Jonah is actually helping her Momma in the kitchen so Missy is busy watching Shelly and Penny sitting on either side of Ceecee while she plays with her little Game Boy. They're guiding and helping her and bantering with each other, it doesn't help that Ceecee is blond like her mom, but Missy has the sudden image of an older Shelly and Penny doing the exact same thing for their own blond little girl.
Life does have a sense of humor. Missy was all for it, Penny was able to bring out a side of her brother that none of them even knew was there.
Her phone vibrates and interrupts her thinking. Checks the caller ID and grimaces a little, she had been half expecting this call when Shelly told her they were going to the Red River Valley Museum. No one notices her slipping to the backyard, she accepts the call but keeps moving all the way to Meemaw's log bench in the back, she doesn't want Shelly's freaky hearing to pick up on this call.
"Hello?"
"Hi Missy, it's Paige."
They go through the motions of small talk and pretending to care about each other's lives. Paige has never been a patient person and it doesn't take long for the actual reason for the call to come through.
"So…how's Sheldon?" Paige doesn't manage the casual tone.
"He's good. I'm gonna assume you're calling because you saw him at the museum with his girlfriend." Missy ain't a genius like her brother but she's not dumb and she's also not a very patient person.
Paige makes a noise, it's half hum and half groan. "Yeah, I saw them…" The silence might bother other people but Missy ain't gonna help Paige with this. "How?"
"Don't know. Shelly claims it started because he helped her with Math homework and she gave him cheesecake."
Paige makes a sound over the line that Missy can't identify. "She doesn't seem like his kind."
Missy really didn't like the tone or the words. "His kind?" She deadpans.
"You know what I mean. Sheldon's not like the rest of us."
"Yeah well, he reproduces like the rest of us so there's that."
"Missy!"
"Paige."
"I don't know why I called. To get closure maybe." Paige really does sound confused.
"Don't kno' what to tell you Paige. She is it."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
The line is silent and Missy has to check her phone to see that the call is still going.
"It's not fair." Paige sounds like that tween from all those years ago.
"No, it's not." Missy is not even going to pretend that she doesn't feel for Paige, at one point she seemed like the only girl that could get the best out of her brother…right before Paige spiraled into whatever the fuck she became. Missy doesn't like to think of Paige as less, but well, that's the closest she can find that fits. Paige started losing her star and Shelly left her in the dust.
"I'm sorry for calling." Paige doesn't wait for an answer and hangs up.
Missy lets out a frustrated breath. That girl ain't right. But even after all she hopes that Paige can get her head out of her ass and start living.
"Aunt Missy! Dinner!"
"Coming!"
Missy shakes off the remnants of the conversation and moves to have dinner in a full house. There are not many days left of this and she's going to enjoy the ones she has left.
The moment that Sheldon and Penny close the apartment door behind them is the moment that the both of them collapse on the couch. Sheldon is in his spot and Penny is right next to him.
"I love your family Moonpie, but I'm glad to be back home."
"I concur. Though the fact that we only need to do this trip once a year makes it easier to accept."
Penny nods tiredly, she was sure that come August they would be already looking forward to going back.
Way too soon for Penny's liking classes start again and their life returns to normal. Well, almost, they now add sex to their routines and Penny couldn't be happier.
A hard day at school? Boom, Sheldon blew her mind and she was suddenly feeling much better.
Sheldon was stuck on a problem? Wham, Penny made it so he could only think about her.
Life was good.
Penny has to make good on her promise and introduce Sheldon to Fred.
Sheldon agrees after hearing this is the guy that made his autograph happen. They meet at The Cheesecake Factory and Sheldon is not even fully seated before Fred explodes in pure fanboy energy and starts talking science at Sheldon.
She and Kelly let the boys geek out while they talk about school, clothes and jobs.
The meeting goes so well that they have another one soon, and then another and soon it just becomes hanging out. Fred is able to tone down the fanboy in him and it turns out he also plays Magic. Sheldon is super stoked because he now has someone to play double headed giant with…Penny didn't even bother to ask.
Kelly and Penny manage to strike a true friendship and Kelly manages to introduce Penny to the wonders of smutty books. Penny in kind teaches Kelly the wonders of an employee discount. It's fun to have a friend in school and even if they're not in the same courses Penny feels content.
They get a new neighbor in 4B.
He? She? Is a police officer that also happens to enjoy dressing in drag. Sheldon feels more secure in the knowledge that there's a police officer in the building and Penny is happy to have someone that knows even more than she does about makeup.
Either way, both Sheldon and Penny love having Louise/Luis as a neighbor.
She prefers to be called Louise and she makes a mean banana bread.
They also have their very first big fight.
Sheldon is helping Fred with homework and Fred is just not getting it. While not as much of a fanboy he still tends to take every word out of Sheldon's mouth deathly serious. So when Sheldon makes an offhand comment about Fred's intelligence, something snaps in Penny and in mere moments they're screaming at each other.
Kelly has to step in and tell them to calm down. Fred looks guilty and that only makes Penny angrier.
Kelly and Fred leave so Sheldon and Penny stare at each other. It doesn't take long for the yelling to start again.
"-happen if you weren't such a fucking robot!"
Penny wants to hurt Sheldon. She sees him reel from her words and is preparing for his comeback. Instead his face crumples for a moment before an imperfect mask of indifference goes over his face, and without another word he leaves to his room.
Penny is left alone in the living room, her chest is heaving, she's waiting to hear the slam of his door, but the only thing she hears is the click of his lock.
In frustration she scratches at her head, suddenly upset that her hair is so long. This is bullshit, she's so tired, she decided to take classes from the Acting Major but it was all so close to being too much. She was almost late in one of her payments for her student loans (Sheldon had designed a plan so she could pay them early) and just yesterday her car had stalled, the 'check engine' light was almost permanently on nowadays. She had broken a nail and she dropped her coffee this morning, literally moments after buying it.
It was all too much, she just wanted time for herself.
'Maybe just one drink' She eyes the bottle of wine in the cupboard but the face of her mother flashes in her mind and Penny shakes her head in disgust.
Really, she just wants to cuddle with Sheldon.
And like a bucket of cold water, realization comes. She had called him a robot. Penny can only close her eyes in shame. She knew better, but she was hurting and wanted Sheldon to hurt too. There's no easy way out of this, she's suddenly feeling very tired, like her body is only moving due to some magic she's not familiar with. Dragging herself she plops down right next to his door and slams her head against the wall.
"Sheldon." Her voice breaks right away "I'm so sorry. I know it's not enough, but I am." Penny wants to slam her head against the wall again but she knows it won't help anyone. Instead she grabs her head and it feels like it's the only thing holding her at the moment.
"I know you appreciate honesty, so I'm going to be honest. I've been under a lot of pressure, so many things happening at once…it's not an excuse." Waits for any sort of acknowledgement.
"Please Moonpie. I'm so sorry." The pain is making way to numbness. It's all too much.
Sheldon doesn't come out of his room for the rest of the night. Penny goes to her own bed for the first time since coming back from Texas. She's sleeping alone for the first time in 6 months and she hates it.
Next morning Sheldon is gone to work as usual. Her breakfast plate is in the fridge in the usual place and the sight of it makes Penny break down.
She eats her breakfast, sobbing all the while.
Penny can't allow this to go on any longer. She makes sure to wash the dish and then cleans herself up. Just a few moments later she's driving to Caltech.
Penny doesn't have an actual plan, there's no magic word to fix this. No one is coming to her rescue, she has to do this alone. She has to be better than her parents.
She's able to find a parking spot easily, she knows the way to Sheldon's office already. Not that long ago the cafeteria had closed and they had arranged a lunch date in his office. Soon enough his office comes into view and she can hear the sounds of 'Chavez' playing loudly. Sheldon had found an affinity for Math Rock and really, that just made sense.
Penny takes a deep breath before entering.
The music stops abruptly and Sheldon's unbelieving voice greets her "Penny?"
She thought that she could talk, apologize, explain it to him, but seeing Sheldon makes her body act on her own. Penny strides towards him and before he can act she's sitting in his lap and holding onto him for dear life.
"I'msosorrysorry" Penny is babbling but she can't stop. She can't stop the tears either and she only cries harder when Sheldon's arms go around her and hold her.
The last time she cried this hard was when she was still a kid, she had wandered by accident to a different stable and had to witness a veterinarian putting an old horse down. Penny could only think about Sugarcube.
"There, there."
Sheldon is holding her tightly, he sucks at comforting people usually. But right now, all that Penny needs is Sheldon.
It takes her an embarrassing amount of time to be able to calm down.
"I'm so sorry Moonpie. I'm a fucking idiot."
"Penny." His voice is harsh. "Don't call yourself that."
"I hurt you. I was so overwhelmed and I don't even know why I reacted like that. I'm just like my mother."
"Penny. You are not like your mother." Sheldon rests his cheek against her forehead, she's leaning against him. If anyone were to come in, they would see Dr Sheldon Cooper PhD at his chair with his girlfriend on his lap.
"I'm sorry Moonpie. I should know better. No. I KNOW better." Penny can't see his face, she's playing with the hem of his shirt.
"I don't enjoy fighting with you. I was often witness to my parent's fights and last night was a stark reminder that I was not as separated from George Sr as I had previously imagined." Sheldon cups her cheek and forces her to look up at him. "I am not my father. And I will not become my father."
His face is impassive, but his eyes are bright. Sheldon blinks several times in quick succession. Penny can see tears gathering in his eyes but they don't fall. Penny grabs his face and runs her thumb under his eye, her thumb comes away wet. Somehow it's worse than if Sheldon had just cried.
Penny pulls his face down and kisses him, trying to convey her love for him. Penny hasn't prayed in years, but she prays that Sheldon knows how much she loves him.
As Sheldon kisses her back, Penny makes a promise to herself.
'Don't make Sheldon cry again.'
That night they also have makeup sex for the first time.
It's slow and intimate. Penny tries to convey her feelings and she knows that Sheldon is doing the same.
Penny locks her legs behind his back and Sheldon's arm never stops embracing her. Their kissing on the other hand is hungry, far more intense than usual.
Sheldon, in a move that she never expects, bites down on her shoulder. Hard enough that she feels the pain without fearing he broke through her skin. Penny arches her back in pleasure and that only makes their bodies fuse together even more.
Penny returns the favor and bites him as well, enjoying the way it makes him push into her.
They will be fine. They have each other.
It takes them little time to go back to normal.
Kelly and Fred come around and Sheldon apologizes for being rude. Physics is his life's work and seeing someone struggle with it, frustrates him.
"Penny advised me to teach you as if I were teaching her. That is, if you would like to continue with it." Sheldon gives Fred a shy smile and maybe only Penny can see the hope behind it.
Fred has all the energy of a puppy and is quick to forgive Sheldon.
Kelly in private admits that she thought Sheldon was being rude but when she brought it up to Fred he said that it was good natured ribbing, that there was no heat behind his words. Still, Penny made a note to let Sheldon know that Fred wanted to be his friend and not his student.
Life goes back to normal except they now have friends to hang out with as a couple.
Summer comes around and Penny has the pleasure to attend Comicon, she didn't realize it but Kelly was a geek and she's the one pushing for them to do Cosplay.
Fred had wanted him and Kelly to go as Fry and Leela but Kelly vetoed that immediately. She wasn't a fan of Futurama. In the end Fred still got his Futurama wish, he went as Zapp Brannigan and he had the smile to pull it off.
Kelly was apparently a different type of geek, she was more into Japanese stuff and Penny didn't get it but both Sheldon and Fred were freaking out over her costume and how good it was. Sure, Kelly was super cute but to Penny she just looked like a very cute doll with weird ears. It was from a cartoon and the character was named Chii.
Penny didn't even have to ask Sheldon. Spock was the only logical option.
As for herself Penny didn't want to over complicate it, ever since helping Ceecee with her games Penny had been borrowing Sheldon's Game Boy to play Pokemon and she loved it. So her costume was simply the female trainer avatar. She has a lot of fun putting the costume together and the final touch is a Torchic plushie that hangs from her waist.
The convention itself is not what Penny expects but she still has a lot of fun with Sheldon, Kelly and Fred. By the end of the day her feet are killing her, she doesn't even want to think about poor Kelly in her light slippers, she had initially wanted to go barefoot but Sheldon and Fred had advised against it.
Penny wouldn't be against going to Comicon again. Maybe next time they can do couple costumes.
"Girlie, I know you can't travel due to school so we're coming to you!"
Penny can't even reply before Meemaw has already ended the call.
"Uh Moonpie, I think we're having visits for Thanksgiving."
Sheldon tilts his head and looks at the phone in her hand.
"Did I not tell you? Meemaw had informed me since last week."
Penny purses her lips and sucks on her teeth "For someone with an eidetic memory, you forget a lot of things."
"In my defense. It was the same night that we tried the position you found in that magazine of yours."
"Oh! Yeah, that was fun!...Okay, we were both not in a state to remember stuff I'll admit." Penny looks at Sheldon "...maybe we can do it again?"
Thanksgiving dinner at the apartment is not a very traditional one. Meemaw and Mrs Cooper arrive on Monday and they will be the ones doing the cooking, they're also teaching Sheldon and Penny how to make proper fried chicken, so they have that to look forward to.
They're having breakfast and Penny asks why Missy didn't join them. "Missy is visiting Jonah's family." Mrs Cooper sounds normal and not upset which is great. Jonah and Missy make a great couple. "Oh by the way, we're having Jonah and Missy's wedding on New Year's"
Penny chokes on a spoonful of yogurt and even Sheldon drops his spoon. Meemaw starts cackling in glee. "Told you it would be fun!"
Mrs Cooper has a tiny devious smile on her face but it's soon replaced with a more…mournful look "My kids grew up too quickly." It's weird how sad and proud she can look at the same time.
"Is Missy pregnant?" Sheldon is always the tactful one.
Meemaw cackles again and Mrs Cooper holds her head.
"Oh boy."
Penny is still too stunned to talk, at least she's not choking anymore.
Penny takes Mrs Cooper to the boutique and lets her go wild with her employee discount…which means Mrs Cooper buys 2 pairs of shoes, 1 blouse and 1 sweater. Penny has to basically shove the cute dress in her bag, Mrs Cooper had loved it, she looked great in it and it was super affordable, it'd be a crime to NOT get it.
Meemaw's fried chicken is basically a heart attack on a plate. But it's so, so, so freaking good.
Finals suck ass. Penny will never get tired of saying it.
Missy looks beautiful in her wedding dress, and you can't even notice she's pregnant.
The wedding is rather small, but it's because they will have a second wedding in Boston for most of Jonah's family. This one is for Missy and her family.
Jonah is smiling like a loon the entire time and Missy is simply glowing with happiness. It was pure luck that Missy finished school last fall, Penny couldn't imagine being pregnant AND going to school at the same time.
The groom's family looks like a cast reunion of 'The Boondock Saints' and Penny kinda digs it.
Thankfully the wedding is not dry, but they won't serve her a thing because she's not twenty one. Her protests of her Birthday being in February fall on deaf ears. Luckily she has a boyfriend that is over twenty one.
"No. I will not participate in your crime"
Penny's eyebrows try to escape her forehead and she can't close her mouth.
"Bazinga." Breathy little laugh.
Penny narrows her eyes but she can't fight the smile and ends up laughing a little. She still makes him get her a Cuba libre.
2004 starts with Missy's wedding and Penny has a good feeling about it.
It will also be her last year in UCLA and she's already preparing to start going to auditions. Her counselor is a wonderful woman named Laura, she's teaching Penny about how to manage expectations and how auditions are not as straightforward as Penny once thought.
Casting Directors were your best and your worst friend. Just because you might have worked with one of them in a previous project, it meant little for your next audition.
Ruthlessness was the rule of the game.
Penny was looking forward to it, she was scared shitless of course. But it felt like getting on that horse right before a rodeo. It made her blood sing.
Penny goes to her first audition, and she blows it, like huge chunks, whale sized chunks. Everything she has been working, studying and preparing suddenly flew out of her head as soon as the audition started.
Laura laughs a lot and tells Penny that's the reason why the first audition should not be for your dream role.
Penny's second audition goes better. It's a part for a commercial, she just needs to look like the teenage daughter in the background, which she nails, it's just a local commercial but Penny feels wired all week long after the shoot. They will air it sometime in March so she mentions it to Sheldon so he can remind her about it.
School is somewhat easier to manage, last year of college and for the first time she's not playing catch up. Laura also has been a godsend and Penny is taking advantage of her presence as much as she can.
On the recommendation of Laura, she's also attending improv classes and singing lessons.
The improv classes are fantastic! The singing lessons are…well, they're singing lessons.
Kelly asks for help with a project and Penny can't say no to her. Sheldon is the hard sell.
"I refuse."
"Please, please, please Sheldon. It's for my sociology project."
"I understand, howe-"
"Penny will do that thing you like that she doesn't."
"Hey!" Why did Kelly have to drag her into it?
"Is that true?" Sheldon was suddenly all business.
Kelly turned puppy dog eyes at her and Penny couldn't hold out "Yeah, yeah, okay. But only once!"
Sheldon nods satisfied "Very well then, I'll participate."
Later Kelly has the decency to apologize at least.
"I mean, he's a guy, so I thought that would break his defenses. Which it did!" Kelly looks triumphant before looking subdued again. "Look, I'll owe you one."
"Deal."
"I'll even buy you the lube myself."
"...what the hell are you talking about?"
"Oh, I thought that since he was so into your butt…that you know." Kelly wiggles her eyebrows and it takes Penny a second to get it.
"OH!" Penny starts laughing hysterically "You thought he?" Laughter doesn't let her continue. Kelly looks putout so Penny tries her best to control herself. "He was talking about a Star Trek TOS Marathon." Laughter still bubbles out of her.
"Oh, well, that is less fun."
"Not for him." Her laughter reduces to a smile.
"So…you two never, you know?"
"And that's my cue to leave."
"Aw c'mon."
Kelly's project is supposed to be easy. Penny will emcee a small Q&A forum where the guests will be men in committed relationships. One of those men is Sheldon, another one is someone in their mid-fifties and the last one is someone in their sixties. Sheldon is sitting between the two older men and he makes for a striking figure, the other two were not what you would call 'conventionally handsome'.
The attendants will be able to submit anonymous questions that Penny will read out loud so that the guests can reply to them. Kelly will also provide the attendants with a questionnaire where they will be able to submit their thoughts at the end of the event.
Also, all of the attendants will be women, students from UCLA.
Everything was going fine until the second question, as Penny reads it she can feel her eyebrows go higher and higher in disbelief.
"Thank you, now for our next question. This is for…'The cute one', ladies, please remember, these men are in committed relationships. Especially Sheldon!" Her voice was hard. "Anyways, the question is: How did you meet your girlfriend? Sheldon?"
"I met her as she struggled with her math homework, I assisted her and she provided me with cheesecake." His tone is clinical, nothing romantic about it, and still the women in the audience let out a collective 'Awwwwww' which just makes Penny narrow her eyes at the audience.
"Moving on, next question." Her tone of voice is no longer warm. "For…'The Hot one.'" Penny smiled woodenly at the audience and in a sweet voice repeated "Remember ladies, committed relationships. We also have two other guests. The question is: What is your girlfriend's worst trait? Oh that's a great question. Sheldon?"
"She doubts her own skills far too often despite repeatedly showing proficiency."
This time Penny wants to join in the 'Awwwww'
The next 3 questions were for the other two guests and things seemed to be back to normal.
"This question is for Dr. Cooper, glad someone listened to his title." Penny feels better so she's back to joking. "The question is: My name is Maureen, would you like to have dinner with me? I give a mean blow-HEY!" Penny is fully glaring at the audience now, trying to find this Maureen. "Committed relationships Ladies!"
The rest of the night doesn't go any better and Kelly agrees that this is the last time she asks for this type of favor.
Penny fumes while Sheldon thinks it all went swimmingly.
"So, let me get this straight. You want to propose?"
Sheldon is in his office and Fred is sitting in front of him.
"I believe that I have been clear about my intentions." Sheldon is close to fidgeting, he is not sure on how to proceed with this matter, Fred was the obvious choice to ask due to him being his closest male friend while also knowing Penny.
"No no no, don't get me wrong, I think it's great!" Penny had once said that Fred had the same energy as a Golden Retriever, Sheldon had to agree with that assessment. "But what is your question?"
Sheldon sighs annoyed, he liked Fred, but the man was easily distracted. "My question is, how to proceed? Penny does not enjoy public demonstrations like those shown in movies and shows."
"Ohhhhhhhhh I got you, I see. Well…first of all, you should get a ring. Can't propose without having a ring." Fred scratches at a non-existent beard. "Also, girls like being surprised. So, make sure to do that. And since she doesn't like doing it where people can see you, do it in a private place."
Sheldon nods, a lot of what Fred is saying he had already considered. "I see. Thank you."
"Anytime man!"
His Meemaw gives him similar advice. With the only difference being that he needed to go to Galveston to pick up Meemaw's engagement ring.
"Are you sure Meemaw?"
"Boy, don't ya sass me and come pick this thing up." Even through the phone Meemaw's voice was full of strength.
"Yes Meemaw."
Penny was 99.99% sure that Sheldon was about to propose.
Fred had been acting funny around her, trying to not spill the beans most likely. And then Sheldon took an unexpected and spontaneous trip to Galveston.
Penny was 100% sure she was going to say yes to him.
But it's been a month since that trip and nothing.
Sheldon hated surprises. Both being in the receiving end and the one planning them. He was certain that so far he had been successful at hiding his intentions from Penny.
But he knew his limits, it would not be long before his face started twitching and there was no way to prevent Penny from noticing that.
He was unsure on what counted as a sufficient surprise, which led him to create and run a survey.
Fred: "A romantic dinner at home, and then propose as you toast."
Kelly: "Take her to a fancy restaurant and order champagne, once it arrives hide the ring in the flute."
Tamika: "How did you get my number? Anyway, just tell her, she doesn't do over the top romance."
Laura: "Pack a picnic, take her on a hike and propose around sundown. Just the two of you."
Missy: "Shelly, just tell her and then screw her brains out."
Mother: Unintelligible
Meemaw: "Cook her something nice, tell her how you feel and just let it happen."
Georgie: "Do everything Meemaw tells you."
Mandy: "Whatever you do, don't do a Bazinga."
That feedback kills his favorite plan. He was planning on deceiving Penny into thinking he had fallen in love with someone else only to reveal that it was actually her all along. She was sure that Penny would have liked it and laughed alongside him. Alas.
Penny graduates.
Her family is there for her. Not her blood relatives, but the family that she found with Sheldon. Meemaw, Mrs Cooper, Missy and even Jonah are there. It makes her cry and thanks god for her luck.
Sheldon is still unable to find the right time.
Auditions are brutal. Penny is thankful for Laura's advice because otherwise she's pretty sure that she would have flopped down into a depressed blob.
She's got a callback and it went great. It's for a small part in 'Scrubs' but Penny is happy because it's for a patient, not for the hot cousin or the hot girlfriend but for the patient of the week. The role at least has some depth.
Penny has never been so anxious, the call confirming if she got it or not takes forever. At least it feels like it does.
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod-" She chants after hanging up and once Sheldon comes home from work she tackles him against their door, not even giving him a chance to remove his jacket.
"IGOTIT!" She can't stop jumping and squeeing.
"Congratulations Penny." Sheldon hugs her, it's the only way that she stays still, but she grabs the lapels of his jacket and runs in place. "I was confident in your acting skills."
"I can't believe this!" Penny looks up at him. "This day can't get better!"
Penny sees Sheldon freeze for a moment before he slowly asks "If another event were to happen today, a happy event, would it add to your current level of happiness?"
It takes her a moment to run the words through her Sheldon filter. "Yeah. Of course it would."
Sheldon nods satisfied and moves away to start putting his jacket away as well as his bag. "One moment." Sheldon goes into his room and Penny is left alone in the living room. 'Weirdo', but the fondness can't be hidden even in her own head.
Once he comes back, he's carrying a towel for some reason.
"Er, everything okay there Moonpie?"
"Yes, Penny, could you please stand here?" He points in front of his whiteboard.
"Okay?" She does as he asks but he's definitely acting weird.
"Excellent, one moment." Off he goes, he rarely uses the dimmer but for some reason he makes sure the lights are low, the light from the early afternoon comes through the window and the apartment glows amber in her eyes.
"Moonpie?"
"Almost done." Sheldon adjusts the lights one last time and then goes back to stand in front of her. An idea starts forming in her head and she can feel her eyes start to sting.
"Wha-"
"Penny." He stops for a moment and puts the towel at her feet. The vague idea is now picture clear. Sheldon goes to one knee and her breath is gone. "Penny. You are t-"
Before Sheldon is able to finish she's tackled him to the floor and is kissing him fiercely. Once her need of oxygen can't be ignored any longer, she stops, grabs his face, makes sure that his eyes are focused on her before saying "Yes."
"But Penny, I wasn't able to-"
She kisses him again. Technicalities can wait until later.
Sheldon is asleep under her, even having upgraded their bed to a double they always ended up wound up around each other. Penny is still admiring the ring he gave her. Eventually.
Penny knew that she could be a little impatient at times but yeah, this one took the cake, no way they can tell their hypothetical grandchildren that Sheldon popped the question while they were in the middle of sex because their grandma was impatient. Yeah no.
The smile on her face might as well be tattooed. This getting married thing was weird, when Penny was thirteen she had made the very conscious choice of not getting married, sure, she was a sucker for romance movies and books. But she never actually thought she would be doing it herself, it was something for everybody else to do. But not for her.
It wasn't that she was jaded…well, it wasn't just because of that. Growing up in her household didn't exactly show her healthy marriage dynamics, her mom was a mess for sure, but her dad wasn't exactly a saint.
And young Penny was smart enough to put two and two together and decide that marriage wasn't for her. Of course, like any kid she thought this was normal and that all other kids lived like this, so she had quite the shock when finding out that no, not all moms got drunk at 2 in the afternoon and that the occasional screaming matches during dinner wasn't something everyone experienced.
Young Penny had made that decision to not marry, and then Teen Penny discovered sex. It's a hard lesson to learn that sex does not equal love.
Penny learned that in a gas station bathroom while crying and hoping the pregnancy test didn't show a second line. Matt Robinson had promised that he loved her, that he would marry her and then he had told her to fuck off once her period was late. Not ideal, as Sheldon would say.
High School had been fun, she had kept her grades high enough to not ruin her chances at College, but mostly, she had fun, parties, boys and alcohol. Her mom would be proud.
And then Sheldon had come into her life, tall, gangly and cute as heck.
That Penny in 2000 had no idea how much her life would change just by meeting Dr Moonpie. She's glad that it happened tho, otherwise she's not sure where her life might have gone. That Penny had thought that acting was easy, that all she needed to do was smile and people would be lining up to offer her roles.
But that Penny is lost to time.
This Penny has a degree, is starting her acting career and very shortly will be married to over six feet of crazy. She can't wait.
Sheldon had told her about multiverses, how every choice created a new possible universe. Penny doesn't want to think about the universes where she and Sheldon never meet. They must be incredibly dull and sad.
Sheldon mumbles something in his sleep and Penny smiles at him. Her own eyes feel heavy, cuddling closer to Sheldon she closes her eyes.
Maybe she can dream of the other universes, the good ones, where a Sheldon and a Penny meet.
"It's too early, Moonpie, I don't want to move." Penny whines and buries her head in the crook of his arm.
"Penny. It's the same time I always get up."
"And you get up way too early." Her voice is muffled but she doesn't doubt that he can hear her perfectly.
"I can stay in bed with you for another…11 minutes before I have to get up."
Penny finally leaves the safety of his arm and places her chin on his chest to look up at him. "What do you say about marrying in Texas?" Penny yawns in the middle of her question and rubs at her eyes.
"I find the idea agreeable." Sheldon tries to resist it but he ends up yawning as well. "Do you want to invite your parents? Though I believe I know the answer."
"God no!" Penny shakes her head. "I don't want them there."
Sheldon nods, he already knew she would answer like this. "I am not a fan of elaborate and large events. But should you desire a larg-" Her hand covers his mouth before he can finish.
"Nah, I don't want anything super lage, just your family and our friends and that's it." She removes her hand and continues. "In fact, if I didn't know for a fact that it would break your mother's heart, I would be happy just by going to the courthouse."
Sheldon grimaces, reluctantly nods "Yes, I do believe that would be the case."
"I liked Missy's wedding, it wasn't big or flashy."
"Do you have a preferred date in mind?"
She actually did. Even before Sheldon proposed, she already knew the date she'd like. "Yep." Penny popped the word and smiled brightly at him.
"Missy got New Year's. We get Christmas."
Sheldon hums "I suppose it's fitting."
"Yeah, that first Christmas at your mom's was special and every Christmas since I've felt accepted by your family, it means a lot to me."
"Christmas has been much better since you've been part of my life." He gives her one of his authentic smiles. "I've come to appreciate Christmas again."
Penny smiles up at him. Her Moonpie has-
Before she can finish the thought, Sheldon stands up and lets her face fall to the mattress "Time's up, I need to get ready."
Penny chuckles, and here she was about to say he had gotten better at intimate moments. "Have fun at work Honey."
"Thank you Penny. I always do."
It wasn't long before Penny fell back asleep.
When Penny informs her (new) family and friends about Sheldon proposing, the lack of real surprise makes her realize that she was the one playing catch up.
Skype is a wonderful tool, most of the time.
Having the 3 Cooper women on a call would usually be great, except when they're trying to organize your wedding. Penny had feared that Missy would move to Boston but Jonah's disbelieving 'I wanted sun, why do you think I moved out?' is enough to make everyone laugh in relief. They bought a house in Galveston, close but not that close to Mrs Cooper home.
"Okay, stop, stop!" Penny wishes she could be in the same room as them. "We don't want anything big. We both liked Missy's wedding and would like the same treatment."
"Practical, I like that." Meemaw agrees right away.
"We can start by booking the church and the hall. I'll handle that." A heavily pregnant Missy promises.
"We'll get our pastor to do it." Mrs Cooper hasn't stopped smiling since she broke the news.
"I would love to get my dress while I'm there, but time-wise it's going to be tight. So I'll buy it here."
"Nonsense Penny, we'll travel to you and we can do it together."
"Er, that would be lovely Mrs Coop-Mary, but Missy is due any day now and I'm sure a baby will be hard to manage."
"Don't you worry about that." Mrs Cooper didn't look worried. "Jonah's mom is already here and she can sub in for a weekend."
"Yeah Girlie, we do this together."
Penny feels her eyes sting, she really got lucky.
Missy safely delivers a gorgeous boy that makes even Sheldon admits that he is really cute. Shane is a Virgo like his dad. Hopefully he'll be just as jolly.
Her role in Scrubs is amazing! Zach Braff is a little full of himself but he's never rude or impatient towards her, he's directing the episode which makes Penny panic for a moment but he's good at it and soon Penny is in the groove of things.
The hardest part of the entire shoot is makeup, she has to sit for 2 hours while they make her look sick, but not sick enough that the audience can tell how sick she really is. That's the twist after all.
It's all over far too soon for her liking. On the last day of shooting she cries on the way back home, but they're happy tears.
Penny loves acting.
Mrs Cooper and Meemaw make good on their promise and they go dress hunting for an entire weekend. Penny finds her perfect dress on the second day.
It has long billowed sleeves which make it look dreamy, Penny loves the pleated waistband and bodice, it has a slit that ends at the knee and the keyhole back is conservative enough that even Mrs Cooper approves of it.
They still try more dresses but Penny is confident that she has found her dress.
Meemaw pays for it and it blows Penny's mind.
"Nonononono, I can afford it, Meemaw. I just got my firs-"
"Girlie." Meemaw's voice is sharp and her face is serious. It makes Penny shut up right away "Ya're family." Suddenly her face broke into a very Sheldon-like smile. "I got ya Girlie."
"Thank you Meemaw." Penny choked out.
"Come here you big baby." Meemaw laughed and pulled Penny into a hug.
Yeah, Penny had found her family.
"Buddy, did you watch Scrubs last week?"
"Oh man, the blonde?"
"I know buddy, I know, So hot."
"Why can't we get girls like those?"
"Because we're short and nerds?"
"It was rhetorical Howard."
"I know, I know. Your microphone sounds great by the way. Better than whatever crap you were using."
"Thanks, I decided to replace my old headset."
"I can't wait for you to get here. Mobs at three o'clock."
"Got them. Me too, just half a year before I'm done and get my PhD."
"That's awesome buddy. Your mom still the same?"
"Ugh, yeah. Watch my back, healing."
"I got you. Well, soon you'll be able to forget about her buddy. You and Me. Friday night. Clubbing. We're gonna score so much."
Before Leonard can react to that statement Howard is yelling.
"I GO CLUBBING MA!...YOU DON'T KNOW THEM!...BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU ALONE AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?!"
"Everything okay Howard?"
"Oh yeah, yeah, all good. By the way, have you thought about what I told you? We got that extra room and I think you and I could make for pretty badass roommates."
"I don't kno-"
"I'M TALKING TO LEONARD! Sorry, you were saying?"
"I think I want to try living on my own, you know?"
"Ahhhh I get you buddy, you want the bachelor pad, good thinking."
Leonard couldn't wait to get out of Jersey.
Penny had thought that after her role in Scrubs it would be slightly easier to find her next role but Thanksgiving came and went without another role materializing for her.
She's trying really hard not to let it get to her, but it's really hard. Last month she auditioned for a sitcom and Penny really thought she had nailed it, but no callback. Laura had already told her that the rough part would never end, you would always wonder about what you could have done differently or better. The secret was in not stopping, not letting yourself stop trying.
There was always the next role.
"Fred. You can untap your Lob-"
"Sorry! Sorry, got it, almost forgot."
"It's rude to interrupt." Sheldon saw Fred impish smile and could feel his eye twitch in annoyance, ever since they became friends Fred had taken upon himself to 'tease' Sheldon. Part of being friends. Usually he would only allow Penny to have that privilege, but Fred had an annoying way of being endearing.
"I untap my Lobber Crew due to casting-"
Their opponents could already see their end approaching and rather than face the humiliation of dying by a barrage of 1 damage pings, they simply scooped.
"GG guys, better luck next time." It was amazing how Fred could easily disarm people with a smile, the Indian man in front of him seemed to have even blushed due to it.
Their opponents grumbled a response but Sheldon didn't care enough to pay attention to it, he was carefully packing his deck and ensuring his cards remained in an ideal condition.
"Fred, Sheldon, let's go!" Every head turned to look at the door, including Sheldon and Fred. Penny and Kelly stood there. "We're running late for the movie." Penny waved in apology to Summer whose turn it was to man the counter.
"We just finished our game and we're ready to go."
"Chop chop Moonpie."
Sheldon narrowed his eyes at Penny who only smiled wider. He said nothing, he'd get even later.
"Dude, stop hitting me." Raj rubbed at his shoulder.
"The blonde, the blonde!"
"What blonde?" Even though they had met not too long ago, Raj liked Howard quite a lot, but he could be way too excitable at times.
"The girl!" Howard gestured towards the door. "Scrubs!"
"Dude, breathe."
"I could swear that's the girl that appeared in Scrubs!"
"...Okay?..."
"Ah, forget it. Leonard would have gotten it."
"Is this Leonard your imaginary friend?"
"He's not…You know, you sound like my mother."
"Low blow dude."
"Let's go find another game before we hit the clubs."
"Nothing like Magic to prepare you for clubbing."
"Howard, c'mon, let's go. I'm tired."
"I was so close to getting her number!"
"You were close to getting a kick in your giblets."
"Look, 10 0'clock, two girls. You take the chubb-nevermind, they have boyfriends."
Raj shook his head in disbelief. "Dude, Monday it's my first day. I would rather not have to spend my weekend in jail."
"Okay, okay, but I'm only going along with this because I'm your friend and not because we couldn't score anything."
"Whatever dude."
"Nervous about your first day?" Howard at least started moving towards the entrance and Raj followed him.
"A little bit. I heard Dr Cooper is quite intimidating."
"Who?"
"Dude! You're kidding!"
"Woah woah, I'm not. Don't squeeze my arms so hard, I need to drive us home." Howard rubbed at his biceps.
"Sorry, but dude! Sheldon Cooper is the one that wrote that paper about string theory and dark matter." Unfortunately the only response Raj got was Howard's blank face. "You need to get out of your Engineering cave more often. You've been working at Caltech for almost a year and you've never heard or seen Dr Cooper?"
"Hey, unless Dr Cooper is a hot chick, I don't really care."
"Is that the only reason you like Lynn Conway?"
"That woman is a national treasure and Caltech would be lucky to have her."
"Well, that's Dr Cooper for the Physics world."
"I know you like your old and crusty old men but-"
"Dude!" Raj laughed "Dr Cooper is younger than you!"
"Wait, what?"
"Take us to McDonalds first and I'll tell you what I know."
"Weren't you tired?"
"Never too tired for a cheeseburger."
"Hey Howard, I just got my mount to-"
"Shut up Lenny! I got some fricking news for you! I SAID FRICKING, MOM!"
"Oh, okay?"
"Guess who we saw at the game store last Friday?"
"We?"
"Raj and I, remember Raj?"
"Is he-"
"No he's not imaginary. We saw that blonde chick from Scrubs!"
"No way! Are you serious?!"
"As serious as my mom's blood sugar levels."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Too real?"
"Yeah."
"My bad. But yeah, man, she's even hotter in person."
"What was she doing in the game store though? That doesn't sound like a thing a girl would do."
"Oh, she was picking up her boyfriend, this redhead guy that kicked our asses at Magic. Have you ever watched Conan? This guy looked just like him and he was just as charismatic. I wanted to hate him, but I just couldn't. They make the perfect couple."
"Aw man, she has a boyfriend?" Leonard had the whine down to an art.
"Buddy, they always have a boyfriend."
"When is it going to be our turn huh? Don't we deserve a hot girlfriend as well?"
"I am actively working on that Bud, soon enough you'll see me with a hot chick hanging from my arm."
"So is your mom okay with me staying until I find a place?"
"Sure is Bud. Plan is still the same?"
"Yeah, I'll apply to Caltech and hopefully be able to find a place of my own soon after."
"Speaking of, does the name Sheldon Cooper mean anything to you?"
"THE Sheldon Cooper? You're joking right? I'm a Physicist Howard, you can't take a class without Dr Cooper's name somehow showing up."
"Oh wow, okay, I thought Raj was exaggerating about this guy."
"He's the reason I'm applying for Caltech. This guy is going to change the world Howard."
"He can't be all that-"
"Sheldon Cooper was the one that solved the issue of rocket retro-propulsion and reentry to earth. He was eleven."
"...holy fuck…" Howard could hear his mom yelling at him for cursing, but he was too shocked to yell back.
"Yeah. He's THAT good."
"You suck Sheldon."
Her Moonpie glared at Fred. Fred and Kelly have been helping them practice how to dance and while Sheldon was usually a fast learner at everything he did, it looked like dancing was his one weakness.
"Don't listen to him Moonpie, he's just jealous because Kelly actually can wear heels to dance with you and still look up and not look down like with him." Penny pulled Sheldon's face to make him focus on the dancing again.
"Ouch, okay. No more teasing Sheldon." Fred acted as if someone had shot him after Kelly swatted at his arm. "You guys are still going to Kelly's graduation right?"
"Yes. Our flight is scheduled for the day after her graduation, which should give us more than enough time to assist with the wedding preparations." Sheldon talked as if they weren't in the middle of dancing.
"Yep. We couldn't miss it." Sheldon had said he didn't dance but maybe they could take dance lessons together, Penny wanted to learn how to Salsa. "And you guys already have your tickets right?"
Kelly answered happily "Yep. We were able to get some pretty cheap tickets thanks to Fred's mom. We'll fly out on the 22nd and then come back on the 27th. Leave you guys to your Honeymoon."
Sheldon froze and Penny almost went tumbling. "Penny! A Honeymoon! We haven't planned it!"
"What are you talking about? We're going to Texas, doesn't that count as a Honeymoon?"
"Oh. I see."
"Nonononononononononononononono. NO!" Kelly was shaking her head at them and raised her voice at the end. "What do you mean that's your Honeymoon? There's no way you're spending your first night as a married couple in your Mom's house" She pointed to Sheldon.
"No of course no." Sheldon looks offended. Kelly looks relieved until he talks again. "It would be Meemaw's house."
Penny wants to laugh at Kelly's expression.
"That's it, neither of you can be trusted with this. Penny, may I have your phone for a moment please?" Kelly extends her hand.
"What for?"
"I need to speak to someone with common sense and Missy seems to be the only option."
Turns out that Missy was also scandalized about Penny and Sheldon not having made any actual Honeymoon plans, after much back and forth and several calls later, Sheldon and Penny have a 4 days and 3 nights stay at the Grand Galvez Hotel…In Galveston, a 5 minute drive away from Meemaw's house. Sheldon grumbles about it until Penny points out they can have sex and not worry about his family bursting in unannounced.
Penny is reading a script. She's got the option to audition for an upcoming sitcom, 'How I met your mother' is a weird title but the script is golden.
She's so focused on it that when her phone rings, she doesn't check the caller ID before answering.
"Hello?"
"Hey Pen." Penny freezes at hearing the voice. Frowns in disbelief and takes a look at the phone screen 'Dad'.
"Heeeeeeey dad." This feels weird, it brings back all sorts of feelings. "Uh, how are you?" This is awkward, this is so awkward.
"We're okay. So, uh, listen. We saw you on that doctor's show."
Penny can feel her throat close, the script now forgotten on her lap. "Oh." She tries to say more but it won't come out.
"Yeah."
An awkward silence fills the static of the call. Her dad is the first to speak.
"I just wanted to call you. To congratulate you, that is."
"Thanks." Penny hates the warmth that fills her chest at her father's words. "Dad." She adds hastily.
"Uh, also, your mother says hi."
Penny scoffs "No she doesn't."
"...Yeah…" No point trying to deny it. "Anyway, I'm proud of you slugger."
Penny has to close her eyes, tears sting at her eyes hearing her father use her nickname again. "Thank you Dad." She's trying to keep herself under control but her dad must be able to hear Penny starting to break.
"I'm sorry." His own voice breaks. "I'm so sorry." And for the first time in her life, Penny hears her father cry.
"Daddy." Penny says it in the same voice she did when she was five.
Her father gasps, she can hear him trying to get himself back under control. "I love you slugger." He manages to say and Penny feels something inside of her dislodge, a weight she didn't know was there is suddenly gone.
Slowly, painfully, they start talking about things they kept inside for far too long. Things that shouldn't have been pushed to the side. Recriminations and apologies are now on the table, unable and unwilling to be ignored further.
Things are not okay, they're both too bruised for things to be okay…but Penny can see a future where they're okay, eventually.
"Dad, I'm getting married."
"Ah…"
"Do you think, you could mak-"
"I'll make it." Her dad doesn't hesitate. "I'll make it." He repeats it.
"Uh, mom…" Penny is unsure on how to finish the sentence.
"I don't think she will be able to make it."
"Yeah."
Neither mentions that Penny hasn't told him the date yet.
Plans are quickly made and her father promises to be there once again. After the call with her father, Penny has to take a shower. She knows that it's silly, but as she's drying herself she feels so much lighter.
Now to call Missy to make some changes to the wedding.